BIONICLE - Phase 03: Provenance - Part IV: Legends of Metru Nui
by MakutaMutran
Summary: A legendary provenance combines the marking of the Before Time, the significance of Metru Nui, and the reason the Matoran had to leave. The Toa Metru finally make their way to the Coliseum following their victory over the Morbuzakh to assume their new roles as Metru Nui's protectors, but a shocking betrayal abetted by an extensive conspiracy abruptly turns the city against them.
1. Chapter 1

**Beginning Editor's Note: I do not claim to own the Bionicle characters or the majority of these plot points. The material here is simply an edited and compiled version of original Bionicle material. Comics and video games etc. have been transcribed in novel form and fully integrated into one chronological read. The poetic liberties of novelization and editing are all I can claim.**

**Please follow/favorite/PM in order to show your support or interest, and use the forum I made to discuss any questions and feedback on this project. These five parts constitute material from the story year of 2004, constituting what I've called "Phase 03: Provenance." Enjoy!**

* * *

_Sequel to "Bionicle - Phase 03: Provenance - Part III: The Darkness Below"_

"Gathered friends," Vakama began. "Listen again to our legend. In the Time Before Time, in the glorious city of Metru Nui, we believed our noble Toa would protect us." Vakama moved the stone that represented the Great Spirit, Mata Nui, to the center of the circle. Now the lightstones began to flicker and darkness shrouded the sand pit. "But they fell one by one as an unrelenting shadow sought to enforce an endless sleep until the memories of past times were lost. Then a time of dark order would be created, and this shadow would awaken the world as its conqueror."

Vakama raised his eyes to the heavens, again remembering a time long ago. Now, surrounded by his fellow Turaga, the Matoran villagers, the six Toa Nuva and Takanuva, he was about to tell the most important tale of all. "Hope, it seemed, was lost. While deceit and betrayal ran disguised throughout the city, the citizens of Metru Nui believed new heroes could not be made…but we were wrong."

X X X

* * *

**1,000 years ago…**

After many adventures, both together and separately, the Toa Metru finally met outside the Coliseum. Each held the Great Disk from his or her own Metru, after having fully prepared to become Toa by leaving behind their Matoran lives in each respective Metru.

Nokama looked at her fellow Toa Metru. "Any troubles?"

The Toa looked at the ground, at the Coliseum, at anything but each other. "No," each mumbled in turn. Then they walked together toward the massive door of the Metru Nui Coliseum.

The largest, most imposing structure in Metru Nui, the Coliseum towered over the city. The edifice was the center of power in the city in more ways than one. It stood at the junction and meeting point of all six Metru boundaries in the center of Metru Nui, and consequently could be seen from any point in the city. The Coliseum was so tall it looked as if it touched the sky, it was believed to have been the very first building constructed in Metru Nui, and had always been a symbol to Matoran of stability and security.

The Coliseum was large enough to accommodate every Matoran in Metru Nui, and had several features. The Coliseum arena hosted citywide Akilini Tournaments, held four times a year. It was extremely fast-paced and dangerous. The winning team's disks were sent to Ta-Metru to be made into Kanohi masks. This same arena was also used for Vahki training exercises.

The Coliseum also housed the city's one power plant. Energy was generated by the flow of liquid protodermis through the plant on its way to other parts of the city. Although the plant did provide power for things like protodermis vat conveyors and chute controls, it did not provide heat to the city. That was done using pipes filled with molten protodermis that ran underground and warmed the buildings above.

Furthermore, prior to the construction of the Great Temple, the Coliseum storage room was used to hold Kanohi Masks of Power. Since then, it has continued to be used to hold items of critical importance to the city. Security was provided by rotating squads of Vahki Rorzakh and Vahki Zadakh.

Turaga Dume's chambers—his stadium box and throne room—were also to be found in this important building. Dume's throne room was connected to Dume's box in the arena. In the past, it had been used for private meetings with the Turaga on issues of importance to the city. But in recent months Dume was far too busy for such appointments and no one was allowed to visit his private chamber, other than the Vahki guards.

One side of the Coliseum arena was dominated by a massive statue of Toa Lhikan, the other by Dume's box. This special section was reserved for the Turaga and commanded a view of the entire arena. From there, Dume could control the massive telescreens that were mounted all over the city as well as in the Coliseum. The box was equipped with levitation and increase weight Kanoka disks that allowed it to be raised and lowered at the Turaga's will.

The Toa Metru entered the arena in the middle of a Kanoka Disk tournament of Akilini. All around them Matoran surfed on disks, over the undulating floor trying to launch their Kanoka into hoops mounted high on the walls. When the players saw the visitors, they immediately ceased their game and moved aside. The floor of the arena settled back into its natural bowl shape from its fluid and ever-changing form for the sports.

Great Disks held high, the Toa Metru moved into the middle of the stadium. Quietly at first, the crowd began to chant "Toa…Toa…Toa." Then the word burst from them in a cheer that rocked the Coliseum.

"HELLOOO, Metru Nui!" Matau shouted, waving. Then he turned to the other Toa, saying, "I always wanted to loud-shout that!"

From high in his box, Turaga Dume watched the arrival of the Toa with surprise. He was flanked by two Vahki Rorzakh, and his huge, powerful hawk, Nivawk, perched behind him.

Dume leaned forward and said in disbelief, "Vakama!?" Regaining control of himself with some effort, he continued, "Matoran one day, Toa the next. No wonder you have not yet completed the Mask of Time."

Vakama had nearly forgotten about his last mask-making project with all that had happened. It was hard to believe that finding the Matoran and Great Disks, battling the Morbuzakh, and struggling with the Krahka did really happen within the last day. "Forgive the delay, Turaga, but…" Vakama began.

"One moment we're Matoran, the next we're power-jolted," shouted Matau, shaking his body to simulate the shock. "And Toa-masked!"

Nokama held her Great Disk up, followed by the others, and said to Dume, "We present you the Great Kanoka Disks as proof of our Toa stature, and pledge ourselves as the new guardians of Metru Nui."

"Toa must prove themselves with deeds, not simple gifts," Dume replied, causing the Toa to look at each other in confusion…and annoyance toward Vakama. Then, addressing the crowd, Dume said, "Matoran of Metru Nui! The Great Spirit has provided six new Toa who will undoubtedly demonstrate their worthiness on this field of honor!"

The crowd cheered, but the Toa Metru just stood there, stunned. All that work to retrieve the Great Disks, stop the Morbuzakh, repair the Archives, and Turaga Dume rejected them? One by one, they handed the disks to Vakama, disappointment and scorn on their faces. This had been his idea, and it had not worked.

"Catch this, fire-spitter," Onewa snapped.

In the Coliseum's control box, Matoran busily worked a series of levers and switches. The Toa Metru could hear machinery grinding and clanking beneath their feet. Then Dume's face appeared on the giant screen overlooking the field. "Cross the Sea of Protodermis," he boomed, "and be honored as Toa!"

The field began to move, shift, undulate beneath the Toa Metru. They struggled to keep their balance as wave after wave passed through the ground. Then a series of large, silver columns topped with razor-sharp points erupted randomly out of the field, threatening to skewer the Toa.

Matau narrowly avoided the first thrust, saying, "Lucky I'm so quick-fast!" But that left Nuju in way. The Toa Metru of Ice leaped back, crashing into Whenua and sending them both to the ground.

"How will we survive?" asked Nuju. Their powers were not finished replenishing themselves due to the two taxing battles they had recently emerged from.

"We use the mask powers the Great Spirit gave us!" answered Whenua.

"And just how do we do that?!"

There was no time for a reply as more columns shot out of the ground. Back on his feet, Nuju pivoted out of the way of a pair of them, not realizing where he was swinging his crystal spike. His Toa tool swept the legs out from under Vakama, sending the Toa of Fire to the ground. The crowd began to laugh.

Vakama shook off the impact and looked up to see a tidal wave of solid protodermis heading right for the Toa. He jumped to his feet as Nokama pointed to an archway on the far side of the field.

"Follow me!" she shouted, leading the charge toward safety.

The huge swell rose behind them, but the Toa were able to maintain their balance and slide down the side of the wave. But now more swells rose up in front of them, each larger than the last. One lifted Whenua high into the air and then dropped him on the field in a heap.

More swells pounded the Toa from every side. Even as Onewa barely dodged a twenty-five-foot tidal wave of protodermis, another hurled Nuju, Vakama, and Nokama in separate directions. Then the largest wave of all rose before them, moving forward at alarming speed and breaking up into large blocks of metal.

"Time to quick-run!" Matau yelled.

"Advance!" Nuju yelled.

"No, retreat!" said Whenua, charging backward and colliding with the Toa of Ice. They both looked up in time to see the blocks of protodermis raining down. Only swift reflexes saved them from being crushed.

"Enough!" proclaimed Dume. The Matoran in the control box dutifully shut down the field. The Toa Metru were scattered all over the field, exhausted. The crowd was silent. Dume peered down at the six figures and smiled. "Let us praise these jesters," he said. "Perhaps they thought to entertain us during this difficult time…."

"No!" shouted Vakama. "We _are _Toa!"

"Or are they imposters responsible for Toa Lhikan's demise?" continued Dume. "They rid us of the dear, last remaining member of the Toa Mangai in an attempt to fool us! Vakama here was the last to see him!"

"Yes, but…no…not true!" Vakama stammered. Vakamas eyes widened as he saw Krekka and Nidhiki step up beside Turaga Dume. Could it be…? "No, it was them!" he yelled, pointing at the two Dark Hunters. "_They _did it!"

Dume's face leered down from the giant screen. He pointed emphatically. "Seize them!"

Squads of Rorzakh closed in on the Toa, their stun staffs at the ready. The Matoran in the control box flipped more switches, converting the center of the field into a vast, metallic whirlpool. Closest to the center of the vortex, Whenua, Nuju, and Onewa struggled to resist the pull.

Nuju tried to dig his crystal spike into the ground. "Nuju, hang on!" Nokama called behind her. But the force of the whirlpool tore it from his hands and it plunged into the darkness. Seconds later, Nuju joined it, flying headlong toward the vortex. On the way, he smashed into Whenua, sending the Toa of Earth plummeting into the whirlpool as well.

Matau and Nokama plunged their tools into the protodermis to try and fight the pull, but their edges held fast. Vakama came flying toward them, but Nokama seized his leg at the last moment with her free hand.

Onewa was not so fortunate. With a scream of "Help!" he vanished into the whirlpool.

Nokama looked around. The Rorzakh were closing in and the three remaining Toa were helpless. Then her eyes fixed on the statue of Toa Lhikan. "Vakama!" she shouted, nodding toward the sculpture. "The statue! Bring it down!"

The Toa of Fire nodded and went to load a disk into his disk launcher. He was half done when he realized he had one of the Great Disks in his hand. Thinking better of it, he substituted disks from his pack.

Taking as careful aim as he could under the circumstances, Vakama launched a series of disks at the base of the statue. Half of the disks contained the weakness power, half the reconstitute at random power—the combination was explosive, sending the sculpture toppling to the ground. Rorzakh scattered in its wake, some of them drawn into the vortex, others trapped beneath the weight of the statue. The statue had also landed on the whirlpool, ending the struggle against the currents of wind.

"Go! Now!" said Nokama.

The three Toa scrambled over the statue, past the stunned Rorzakh, and out of the Coliseum. As they ran, Matau stole a glance at Vakama's disk launcher. "Impressive Toa tool," he said. "Trade?"

But Vakama was not listening. His attention, and his anger, were fixed on the Turaga of his city.

X X X

Dume turned to Nidhiki and Krekka, barely controlled anger in his voice. "The new Toa must _not _interfere with the plan."

Nidhiki shrugged. "They are mere Matoran in Toa armor. As is our duty, we shall not fail."

Krekka pondered that for a long moment before nodding his agreement.


	2. Chapter 2

Outside the Coliseum, the three Toa Metru paused to catch their breath. Vakama's mind was still spinning from the revelation that Dume, Nidhiki, and Krekka were allies. "We've been betrayed. The Dark Hunters took Toa Lhikan—for Turaga Dume! He's responsible!" he said.

Nokama nodded. "And now he'll send them after us."

"All because the fire-spitter panic-failed," grumbled Matau. He remembered all too well what Vakama had said about standing by while Toa Lhikan was kidnapped.

Vakama made no reply. There was nothing he could say.

The group paused to rest for a moment. "And now we'll have the Vahki at our rear-tails everywhere in the city," Matau continued. He added more seriously, "Or worse."

"Dark Hunters?" Nokama asked.

Matau shrugged in agreement. "Well, yes…"

"He's talking about the elite Vahki," Vakama explained for Nokama.

The Toa of Water's eyes widened as she remembered. She hadn't even thought… "Would he…?"

"For us—something he is perceiving as a threat to the city—Dume would," Vakama affirmed.

In addition to the six models of Vahki active in the city, the Po-Matoran constructed two special types of elite order enforcers: the Kraahu and the Kranua.

The Kraahu had one long torso, the head of a Vahki, and six legs making it stand a good two bios off the ground. The Kraahu had one major advantage over the standard Vahki model. Unlike the Vahki, which had a centralized intelligence mechanism, a Kraahu's clockwork knowledge centers were scattered through its body. This allowed the Kraahu to split apart, and its pieces to function independently. When intact, the Kraahu could emit clouds of stun gas, fire stun blasts from its pointed legs, and fire Kanoka disks. Split apart, each Kraahu piece carried an electrical charge that was triggered on contact. Kraahu were normally dispatched to deal with large numbers of Rahi on the loose.

Kranua, on the other hand, were powerful and bulky bipedal mechanisms, capable of transforming their bodies into animated grains of protodermis. In this form, they could flow through narrow cracks or vanish into the pavement before reforming someplace else. This talent made the Kranua particularly difficult to escape or trap.

"To stand against Vahki we need to be fast; to outwit the Dark Hunters we need to be smart; and if we are going to have to stand against either elite Vahki, we will need to stand together," Vakama said.

"Then we've got to save the others!" Nokama called as they resumed their flight.

"And to do that, we need to find our Mask Powers," Vakama suggested.

Nokama stopped running at the edge of an overlook. "I agree…but we have to get _out _of here." She looked down to see a transport chute far below. Jumping into one was risky. If the speed and timing of the leap were not just right, she would bounce off the outer layer rather than passing through into the magnetized protodermis flow.

"Come on!" Taking a deep breath, she jumped off the ledge. An experienced diver, she kept her body as straight as could be and her eyes focused on her destination. She struck the chute perfectly, passing through the outer layer and immediately swimming smoothly in the chute.

High above, Vakama watched her dive with awe and not a little fear. Ta-Matoran didn't go leaping around like Le-Metru cable climbers or swimming in the sea like Ruki fish. Vakama had never gotten into a chute except through a chute station. Besides being dangerous, it was a sure way to attract the attention of Vahki.

Behind him, Matau grew impatient. "What are you waiting for?" he asked, giving Vakama a shove and sending the Toa of Fire flying. Fortunately, he hit the chute at just the right moment and made it into the protodermis flow safely. It took him a moment to adjust to the new environment. He grabbed a passing piece of cargo and let it pull him along behind Nokama.

Matau turned at a noise behind him. Krekka and Nidhiki had emerged from the Coliseum. At the sight of the Toa, they shapeshifted into a more aerodynamic mode and shot forward. Panicked, Matau leaped.

Under ordinary circumstances, the Le-Metru native was one of the best at chute-jumping. But he had never tried to do it with two Dark Hunters right behind him before. His arms and legs were going every which way as he fell. He landed with a hard splat on the top of the chute, then slowly oozed into the protodermis. Part of him was happy for the temporary safety, while part hoped no one he knew had seen him.

X X X

Turaga Dume walked silently through his private chamber. Despite the numerous lightstone Ianterns, the vast room still felt shadowy and cold. Ignoring the great throne that rested on the polished floor, Dume triggered a secret door in the rear wall and passed through.

Beyond the door was a room no eyes other than his own had ever seen. Sunlight poured into the room from either side to strike a pair of huge sundials. The instruments were made of great circular plates inscribed with a language that was ancient when Metru Nui was new, and posts of a dark stone that cast eerie shadows. The plates rotated with a rhythmic clicking, bringing the shadows from the sundial posts closer and closer with each second.

Turaga Dume walked toward the darkest recesses of the room. A pair of sinister red eyes loomed in the shadows before him. A voice like thunder growled from the pit, "The Mask of Time will not be completed."

"No," said Turaga Dume. "But when the Great Shadow falls, the Vahki will ensure every Matoran's fate."

The eyes receded into the darkness. The room was silent as the grave once more.

X X X

His name was Vakama—he was a Toa Metru, with all the strength, speed, and power that title carried with it.

He was also plunging to his doom.

Toa were known for being very wise and always had good advice to give. If Vakama could give any of that to another being that this point, it would be this: if someone walks up to you, hands you a Toa Stone, and tells you the city is depending on you…

_Don't walk. Run, _Vakama thought to himself, as he fell. He thought back to how this situation had come about. In doing so, he found another piece of wisdom. _You can always find a Vahki when you don't want one. _

Their chute had taken them only a short distance from the Coliseum before they arrived in Le-Metru. To avoid being seen by the Matoran, Vakama, Nokama, and Matau exited the chute at the first chute station they came to. Fortunately, being close to the Coliseum, it wasn't as busy as other stations farther away. However, there were some Matoran that were alarmed to see three Toa Metru arrive. Those who had seen the display on screens from the Coliseum were those that ran to retrieve the Vahki. Matau quickly led the three out of the building, going up to the top floor and then the roof of the tower to get a better vantage point and plan. But their detection below meant they weren't safe there, either.

"Vahki Bordakh!" Matau called from the Toa's tower, spotting the flying order enforcers hovering overhead. "They must have been here-called by the Matoran!" Stun blasts rained down on their small area of safety. Matau moved his arms and legs rapidly to avoid being hit while Nokama jumped widely. Vakama fitted his Kanoka Disk Launcher onto his back for greater mobility as well.

The Vahki had been informed that the Toa were a threat to Metru Nui's security, so they set out to restore peace, harmony and safety for all…even if they had to destroy the Toa to do it. Despite Nokama's agility, one stun blast managed to make it through, hitting her in the back. Her knees buckled and her arms raised in a struggle to resist the mental effects, but it didn't last long. "Unnnghhh!" she struggled, before succumbing.

The Toa of Water suddenly stopped dodging and walked over to the Toa of Fire, roughly shoving him off the edge. "There!" she called to the blue Vahki overhead. "Grab him! He's a threat to Turaga Dume and the city!"

"No!" Vakama yelled, trying to get through to Nokama. He waved his arms frantically, trying to regain balance. All he succeeded in doing was losing it, though; he tumbled helplessly off the roof of the chute control tower.

Matau recovered from his surprise, but wasn't able to go after him. More stun blasts shot at the roof, and as much as he was willing to take risks to save a fellow Toa-hero's life, he would do no good to Vakama if he wound up like Nokama.

"Nokamaaaaa!" Vakama cried, his voice quickly becoming fainter to the two remaining Toa as he fell.

_Which brings me back to where I started—about to be an ex-Toa of Fire, _Vakama thought. He tried to think as fast as he fell. _If I hadn't exhausted my flame powers fighting the Morbuzakh and Krahka, I could gain a few seconds by melting through the street. _Looking "up" in the direction he was falling (so down, at the ground) he noticed some new faces. _More Bordakh. And I doubt they brought a net. _

Vakama became fearful, frustrated, and angry. _Mata Nui, I must have become a Toa for a reason…I must have a destiny to fulfill. It cannot end like this! There must be some way to save myself—some way— _

There was a loud _FOOOSH _behind him as what sounded like a jet powered up. He looked over his shoulders, trying to see just what it was. "What—?" Doing so was beneficial for two reasons: first, it allowed him to see his Toa Kanoka Disk launcher, still fitted in place on his back from the fight up above. It had adopted its role as more than just a disk launching tool and truly become the Toa's elemental channel. From its opening on his back, constant fire spewed out, turning the weapon into a rocket pack. The second benefit of looking for the source of the sound was that it caused his body to turn in such a way that he swooped and flew back up. "Yes!" he cried, unable to contain his feeling of achievement.

Now in control of his motion and confidence, Vakama aimed back to the tower and increased the power, speeding back up to the top. _It's my disk launcher! I must have triggered its power with my thoughts, _he realized. _Wait until I show the others! _

Two stun blasts flew by, reminding Vakama that he wasn't alone down here. _But first… _The Toa of Fire pulled out two Kanoka in his hands and aimed at the ground forces below. He hurled them toward the targets, not as effectively as a launcher would have done, but enough to hit the Vahki—that was all he needed. As soon as both Kanoka hit, the Vahki shrank down to an inconsequential size. …_I will make my problems smaller ones, _he thought as he flew back up.

X X X

That was something Matau wished he could do, too.

He and Nokama had engaged in combat after Vakama's shove, but where he was holding back to avoid hurting his friend, she seemed to have no regrets punching him straight in the mask. As a matter of fact, she was so intent…it seemed like she almost enjoyed it. That was even worse than being hit, until Matau realized that she was still under the influence of the staffs and the _real _Nokama would never do such a thing.

Still, the altered Toa of Water had succeeded in pinning Matau to the ground by his arms, keeping his hands from pushing her off. "Traitor!" she shouted at him. "The Vahki will know how to deal with _you_!"

Under her, Matau still struggled, then saw an opening. He gave a thrust with his body's center, forcing her up long enough to bring his legs between them. "I know I said I wanted to be near-close to you, Nokama, but not this near-close! Get off!" He yelled, pushing with his legs and forcefully throwing the Toa of Water off.

Then he realized his mistake: the kick sent her flipping over the edge of the tower. Scrambling over to the edge, Matau grabbed her foot and heaved, keeping her from falling off the skyscraper as Vakama had. With his other hand, he drew one of his aero slicers to parry and defend against the still-coming barrage of Vahki stun blasts overhead.

Nokama still wasn't grateful. "Let me go!" she persisted from below, fighting and shaking against his one-handed grip.

But Matau held fast. "Not until you are Nokama, Toa of Water, again," he said resolutely. Inside, though, he wasn't so sure he could keep that promise. _That better be soon…because I can't…hang on…much longer… _A final Vahki stun blast came in that could not be blocked. In an effort to dodge it, he lost his grip on Nokama. Rolling to look over the edge to see her plunge, Matau called after her, "Nokama!"

Matau turned back to create cyclones and wind blasts to retaliate at the Vahki, but it was hard to focus when he heard Nokama's long scream behind him. Not only that, but they were much smaller than he'd hoped, seeing as his powers were still low, too.

Nokama's scream ended a lot sooner than he expected, though. Curious, Matau took the next chance he got to look over the edge. _Vakama…flying? _he thought, astounded. …_Why? _

Down below, the Toa of Fire had indeed been able to intercept the falling Toa of Water as the two continued to fly. "Hold on tight, Nokama," he said, giving more power to his disk launcher to carry them higher again.

Nokama, cradled and carried by Vakama, rubbed her head. She murmured, "Vakama, what…what happened? The last thing I remember—"

"The shock of your fall must have broken the Bordakh's hold on you," Vakama reasoned. He looked back up, still seeing the Toa of Air holding his own against the attack. "We have to get Matau and get away from here." Vakama paused their ascent long enough to hurl a firebolt skyward. It wasn't powerful enough for an attack, just a signal.

Matau saw it pass by and looked down. Meeting eyes with Vakama, the two Toa nodded. _Time to quick-leave! _Matau encouraged himself. Just as another trio of stun blasts came down, the energetic Toa of Air leapt off the tower, aiming for the nearest chute that ran through it. The Vahki still pursued, flying lower to chase him. _Great. Now I can add-write chute jumping to my list of bad-crimes… _

As a Le-Matoran expert, Matau made the jump just right. As a mechanical order enforcement member, the Bordakh didn't have to. Three followed him through the magnetic sheath and zoomed down the tube.

Matau looked over his shoulder. _Maybe I can lead these Vahki away from the others. _As he turned back forward, his travel had brought something else to sight. _But what is that in the far-distance? _Something was disturbing the tube not far in front of him. The closer he got, the better he saw why. _Vahki Vorzakh! They've shatter-wrecked the tube! _

The Le-Metru Vorzakh, by nature, were always the most destructive pursuers. It came as only little surprise that they were perfectly willing to destroy a chute segment in order to capture the law-breaking Toa.

Matau's features tightened in determination. _It will take more than that to stop a Toa-hero. _He leaned into the chute's current, increasing his speed. The Vahki behind him did so, too, adopting their aerial form once again to move unobstructed through the magnetic current. Matau brandished his swords and sliced them through the top of the chute. Then he jumped and put his feet first, completely flattening his body in the direction of travel. _These Vahki are good at the fast-chase…but how good are they at stopping? _

At the last chute support ring before reaching the destroyed segment, Matau's swords caught on the bracket. The force of his swords striking the support, combined with his large forward momentum swung his legs upward. His feet kicked out of the chute, the rest of his body following. The Toa completed an acrobatic backwards flip, exiting the chute and landing on the top of the outside protodermic support ring. Looking below his perch into the chute, Matau watched the Vahki continue onward toward the broken portion.

_Hmmmm. Not nearly so ever-quick at that, _he thought, watching the three squad members zoom out of the device like launched Kanoka. They flew a long distance before "landing" with a lack of grace and a surplus of noise. Smiling at that, Matau turned to regroup with Nokama and Vakama once again.


	3. Chapter 3

Onewa, Nuju, and Whenua marched through underground tunnels to an unknown destination. The three Toa moved in a horizontal formation, with Nuju on the left, Onewa in the middle, and Whenua on the right. Around them were four Vahki Rorzakh, marching nearby and herding them to their arrival point. The confidence of the Rorzakh was so great they even still held their Toa tools.

Finally, Onewa, without turning his head, whispered, "When I give the word, we make a break for the surface."

Whenua slowly, smoothly shook his head, as if he were simply surveying the surrounding tunnel. "Bad idea, Onewa," he said back, very quietly. "In all of their history, the Rorzakh have never failed to capture a runner."

The fact that Whenua was apparently perfectly willing to be marched to Mata Nui knew where didn't help the Toa of Stone. "I don't see you coming up with any better ideas, librarian!" he harshly retorted, still keeping his voice low.

Onewa lagged behind, allowing Whenua to inconspicuously shift toward the center of the three to get a different opinion. Now, he walked to the right of Nuju.

A small, instantaneous flash of light flickered in the tunnel. Nuju looked up to see it was one of the lightstones overhead in this dreary walk; it would need replacing soon, along with several other features. The Toa of Ice looked back at the ground as he muttered, "The past won't matter if we don't have a future, Whenua. There is a side passage up ahead. I suggest we take it—" When the patrol neared the break-off, Nuju grabbed Whenua, pulling him along. "Now!"

There was only one problem with running away from Vahki: Vahki really love to chase.

As soon as the Toa branched off to the left, the two Vahki Rorzakh behind pursued, while the two that had been in front turned around, transforming into quadrupedal forms for speed.

The three Toa Metru put up a good chase. They ran, circled back, and then ran again, continuing that cycle for hours. Finally, Whenua cautiously peered around a corner, peeking only a single eye out before leaning out more. "They are still searching, but they don't know where we are," he breathed to Onewa and Nuju, still around the wall. "I see Rorzakh down this corridor." He nodded behind them in a different direction. "We will have to go left."

Once again, the Toa worked their way through the maze of tunnels, narrowly avoiding the Vahki all the way. With Onewa leading the group down another empty tunnel, he began to wonder, "Is it just me, or does this seem too easy? They should have caught us or given up by now."

"Rorzakh don't give up. Ever," the Toa of Earth reminded his brother, before turning his head at another sound. "I hear them off to the left, now. Quick! Duck into the room, there—on the right!"

The three Toa did as Whenua directed, dashing into a doorway on the right side of the tunnel to avoid being caught by the Rorzakh. However, the sight that greeted them was just as comforting.

"Dead end," muttered Nuju, disappointed. "We had better—"

_SLAM! _

Whenua, Onewa, and Nuju whirled to see the cell door forcefully shut and locked behind them. "It's a trap!" Onewa shouted, too late. "This 'room' is a prison cell!"

Nuju frowned in frustration. "They knew where we were all the time. The Rorzakh must have used their Staffs of Presence on one of—" He thought back to the silent and almost unnoticeable flicker of light he had seen in the tunnel before breaking away from the squad. The flash had happened right over, or rather, right _behind_, Whenua. The Toa of Ice turned to the Toa of Earth, refraining from making an accusation. It was not Whenua's fault, nor had it been preventable. He sighed, finishing, "They were able to monitor our movements, what we said, and what we plotted the whole time; one of us was their unwitting eyes and ears."

Onewa pulled his hands up, letting his proto pitons dangle. "We still have our Toa tools!" he reminded the others. "We will break out and—"

"And do what? And go where?" asked Nuju, looking through a small window on the door. It was about one foot by two feet, had three vertical bars to keep hands from reaching through, and allowed Nuju to see the glowing bright-green eyes of at least four Rorzakh on the other side. Those lights stood out against their black forms. "Dume has called us traitors…the whole city is against us…the Matoran we want to protect are calling for our capture."

The Vahki slid out of view from the door, but the Toa had no doubt that they would be dutifully patrolling the area. Nuju's gaze fell to the floor. His eye and telescopic lens squinted in morose pondering. "Maybe the Turaga was right," he said to his quiet companions. "Maybe we are just imposters…Matoran pretending to be Toa."

X X X

After regrouping, Matau led the other two Toa toward a nearby airship hangar. The destroyed Bordakh lay not far from where the Toa were. Vorzakh were investigating, calculating trajectories and scanning the area to track the Toa. At the sound of a hovercraft's engines starting up, Matau glanced over. An airship had just completed its final pre-takeoff check and was close to departure. That was when Matau thought of a way to get them safely out of Le-Metru.

The Toa of Air led Vakama and Nokama in a dash to the ship. "They will be close-watching the chutes and the streets," Matau explained. "They will never think to look above their heads!" When they got to the pointed, elliptically shaped ship, Matau pushed a control that opened a rear storage hatch. "We will quick-hide among the cargo," he said as he beckoned and pulled Vakama and Nokama aboard the craft. "Hurry, get in!"

Just shortly after the Toa boarded, the Le-Matoran pilots triggered the vast network of levitation disks to make the ship rise. The aerial craft powered up and ascended into the air, its leg-like landing gear folding and stowing into the hull on the way. It kept flying upward, after time resting at an altitude high above the city. Then it turned off toward its destination, hovering at a controlled pace.

Inside, the Toa sought a place of refuge where they could figure out just how things had gone so wrong. The small door through which they had entered led to a walkway attached to the rounded shape of the hull. One main cargo space dominated the interior of this particular vessel. Up and down the curved walls of the hull, one could see the metallic protodermis frame supporting the mesh-like exterior which lended the airship its light weight. The three Toa walked along the path at a point of half the airship's height. To their right was no railing, just an expansive view of stacks and stacks of boxes and compartments.

"Perhaps if the Vahki manage to find Toa Lhikan, Turaga Dume will realize we are innocent," Nokama mentioned from between Matau and Vakama, clearly having been thinking about the matter. They all were.

"Perhaps. Unless Dume already knows where Lhikan is," Vakama replied at the front. The walkway opened up to a level, with more doors leading to specific storage rooms.

Vakama's comment stopped Nokama for just a second before she caught back up to him. When she reached a closer distance again, she asked, "What are you saying?"

But Matau, free from the confines of the narrow walkway, walked across the floor to a door. He operated the switch to open it. "Less loud-talk, more quick-walk! In here!"

The three shuffled again into an even more discrete place. In this area, tall rectangular storage units stood for transport. Vakama guessed from their size and physical restraints that they were carrying Po-Metru works. "We will stay deep-hidden until the ship lands," Matau told the other two.

"Fine," Nokama agreed. "Vakama, explain what you said. What do you know?"

"Something simply feels wrong," Vakama said, thinking hard about all the details and facts floating around this betrayal. "First the Morbuzakh, then so many Matoran disappearing. What if the two aren't connected like we thought?"

"Uhh, hello?" Matau muttered, waving his hand in front of Vakama's mask. "They were _clear-see _related? The Morbuzakh was grab-snatching Matoran!"

"No, I know that, but…" Vakama spoke with his hands as much as his mouth. He held them out in thought, his fingers twitching in frustration, plot, and concern. "What if the Morbuzakh plant's attacks weren't just acts against the Matoran, but a cover for something else—something Toa Lhikan suspected, but didn't have time to prove?"

"And he was captured by the Dark Hunters before he could share it," Nokama added, now thinking that she understood Vakama.

"Right in front of the fire-spitter's eyes, too," Matau also added, earning a wince from the Toa of Fire. He crossed his arms to pout. "Now we have to ever-flee from Vahki all over the city. So much for being Toa-heroes! Ugh…why did I even seek-find that disk…"

Vakama came closer, speaking encouragement where it was needed. "But we are still free, Matau. Maybe it's our destiny to find Toa Lhikan so he can solve this mystery." He looked at the walls of the garage and the storage units behind Matau and Nokama. He nodded his approval of Matau's hiding place. "We have time to think and plan."

A squad of quadrupedal Nuurakh loomed over his head, creeping slowly and silently down the cargo to their unsuspecting victims.

"After all," Vakama continued, "what could threaten us here?"

X X X

Above a Le-Metru section with a broken chute and components of Vahki below, two odd-looking figures watched, searching. The lean, frail-looking insectoid thought to himself, summarizing their events: _I am a Dark Hunter. My friends call me Nidhiki…or they would, if I had any friends. _Nidhiki glanced to his side, seeing his partner's eyes trace the paths far below on the ground. Nidhiki ordered Krekka to help him survey the area surrounding the destruction, presuming it to be the last known location of the Toa. _We came to Metru Nui for our favorite sport: Toa hunting. Capturing Toa Lhikan was too easy. But these Toa Metru…they are going to make us work. _

The Dark Hunter moved over to get a better view of the area. The closest building was an airship hangar bay. That could offer hiding, escape, or shelter, and seemed the most likely place an escapee would go.

Almost on cue, Nidhiki's head swiveled at the sound of an aircraft taking off. Then his four legs righted him in the direction of inspection. Nidhiki was a cunning and tactical thinker skilled at trapping his prey. He knew his trio of runaways were aboard. If he were a Toa, it's what he would have done.

Even as the loud airship turned away to leave, Krekka was still watching the wide-open sidewalks, waiting for the fugitives to run by in an attempt to be extra sneaky. This should have been expected—Krekka was a Dark Hunter known for his strength, if not his intelligence. He wasn't the brightest lightstone in Metru Nui, but was strong enough to crumble a Knowledge Tower with one blow. "I don't see them anywhere down there," Krekka told his partner.

"Then try looking up," Nidhiki offered, hoping the task wasn't too complicated.

Krekka did so, his asymmetrical eyes fixing on the ship. The hulking, ape-like being wasn't sure why Nidhiki was so concerned with it, though. He and Nidhiki might have seemed like a strange team to some, but Nidhiki hid many secrets, and no one dared try to learn what lurked in that creature's past. The same could be said for his partner: little was known about Krekka's history, but his love of the hunt was obvious.

Nidhiki, annoyed, elaborated, "I smell Toa on that ship. Scared Toa. The best kind." He curled his legs and arms into his flight mode. Krekka did the same, following along and going with the flow of his ambitious partner. Then the two took off after the ship.

Nidhiki hadn't really smelled them, of course—he wasn't some Rahi—but he knew how Toa thought, how they operated. And right now, he knew they were thinking they had made a clean escape.

X X X

"As soon as we land, we head underground and make our way through the Archives," Vakama instructed.

Matau made a face in mock surprise, nodding sarcastically. "Oh, underground. Dark. Nasty. Sounds like a happy-plan."

"What about the Vahki?" Nokama asked.

"With a little luck, we'll get there before they know where to look," Vakama answered.

Nokama's eyes widened as she spied a Vahki stun staff looming behind Vakama, about to strike. It bore the unique, narrow-clawed shape of the Ta-Metru branch. "Nuurakh!" she shouted in alarm, firing a stream of water. The elemental attack hit the Vahki, knocking it loose from its sideways perch on the cargo.

"There's our 'little luck'," Matau muttered, "all of it bad!" He looked up to see four other Vahki among the transport equipment, too, as security guards for safe travel. "More of them!" he warned.

Two more jumped down and landed on the same level as the Toa, while the last two began firing stun blasts from above. Nokama flipped out of the way and Vakama rolled behind cover, while Matau fixed his aero slicers in place on his back as wings and took to the air. The Vahki on the floor began to pursue while the others higher above moved to reacquire their aim.

Flying over the combatants, Matau asked downward, "Don't you have more dark-serious things to do? Like guard-watching for loitering Lava Eels?" The Nuurakh below launched two Kanoka in response. Matau retracted his wings and flipped forward in the air to dodge, losing a few bio of altitude before flying again. He mumbled to himself, "Well, ask a Vahki question, get a Vahki answer…"

Nokama dodged another stun blast from the Vahki above, but that brought her close to the soldiers on the ground. Surprised, but not out of ideas, the Toa of Water slung her flexible hydro blades around a tall piece of cargo. She threw it at the two oncoming mechanoids, where it rotated to a horizontal orientation in-flight, knocking both of them back against the wall. Turning quickly to face another Nuurakh, she called to her brothers, "You realize that fighting Vahki makes us the outlaws Dume says we are?"

Matau considered. "Hm…maybe we can be legendary Toa-villains, then," he offered, creating a tornado that threw the two Vahki from their high perches. One crashed into a crate, breaking, while the other managed to convert into flight mode and enter the fight again aerially.

Nokama ducked and dodged the staff swipes and stun blasts, looking for an opening. She found one by going on the offensive. She pushed back, forcing the Vahki to use its tools to block her blades rather than threaten to bring her under its own mental control. The fight ended when she completed a fast double-spin attack with her blades. The first round deflected its staffs from protecting it; the second tore two cuts into its body that effectively disabled it.

Vakama surprised a Vahki by quickly coming around the corner of a piece of cargo. Grabbing its staffs, he quickly channeled his flame power through them, melting the tools. He cut off the ability before it damaged the enforcer. "We're not your enemy!" he tried pleading. "We didn't kidnap Toa Lhikan, we're trying to save him! We can help each other!"

Vakama hadn't even finished speaking before the Vahki loaded a Kanoka disk and took aim. Just before it could fire, it just…blew up. Something had fallen on it, destroying the Nuurakh. Looking closer, Vakama saw it was another Vahki. A glance upward showed Matau hovering closer to the ground, cancelling a wind blast. Vakama looked back at the two broken mechanoids—one that had been chasing Matau and one with which Vakama had made an unreasonable attempt to communicate.

Matau looked at his work, too, arms folded. "They're much easier to reason with in small pieces, fire-spitter."

Despite the absence of the Vahki, the Toa only had seconds to rest before the next sound rang out. It started as a low metallic groaning, then a percussive _bang _of sound. Now light was showing into the airship where there hadn't been before. The three Toa looked up to see a hole torn in the hull of the craft, with a strange insectoid being with two large pincers leaning in.

"Sorry for the interruption, little Toa," the figure mocked, "but I never could wait to open my presents."

Matau and Nokama were just as thrown off guard as the Toa of Fire. He had described this being in a vision, as an adversary to avoid during their search for the Matoran and for the Great Disks. Now, here he was, in the flesh and armor.

But Vakama had an even stronger reaction than they. "You!" he cried. "The one who captured Toa Lhikan—Nidhiki!"

Nidhiki jumped from the hole he had made to a metallic supporting scaffold, his four spiny legs lifting him at an unusual angle. Behind him, the other being Vakama had seen, Krekka, entered as well and took his usual position at his partner's side.

Nidhiki's claws snapped open and shut. "Yes, and he begged for mercy, little flame, just like you will." It was another use of Nidhiki's knowledge of Toa. _First rule of Toa hunting: get them angry. It makes them careless. Overconfidence must come with the Kanohi. _

As predicted, Vakama triggered his rocket pack, explosively soaring into the air. "Liar!" he yelled, during flight.

Nokama reached after him, but the Toa of Fire was already zooming to where the two Dark Hunters laid in wait. Only when he was certain he could not miss did Krekka ready his shoulder-mounted Kanoka launcher. As he fired a high-power freeze disk, he laughed, "Cool off, Toa!"

At such a range, only a bio or two, Vakama could not move to avoid the disk. It struck him, dead-center, freezing a coating of ice several inches thick around him. The disk did little to knock Vakama back down, but it didn't need to. Its power had halted his jetpack's ascent. After just a second of being iced over, Vakama's momentum ended, and he began to plummet back down to the floor of the cargo area.

Nidhiki watched with amusement. _Once he hits the ground, even a Po-Matoran couldn't put him together again. _

Nokama saw what was coming, but also knew she was the lesser equipped. "Catch him, Matau! If he falls, he'll shatter!"

Matau nodded, springing back into the air with such speed he became hard to follow. He reached for his Toa-brother but the ice had made him heavier than anticipated—he didn't get a good grip the first time. Angling his wings to chase back down after the still-falling Toa, Matau made a second swoop underneath. That effort was successful. "Got him!" he called down to Nokama, while clinging awkwardly onto Vakama's right elbow and knee.

"Maybe, but can you keep him?" Nidhiki asked, charging and then launching an energy web. As it flew, he queried, "Or are you just a Matoran fraud wearing Toa armor?"

The web projectile hit Matau in the air, his speed slowed by Vakama. His wings were knocked out of place, and the two began to fall. Matau grunted hard as the dark energies coursed through his limbs with pain. But he held on to the iced Toa of Fire, trying at least to land first. _I have to twist so I take the hard-fall, or Vakama is doomed! _

Once again, Nidhiki watched the Toa fall, pleased to see the battle going his way. Still though, there was a sense of urgency in the back of his mind. _We will need to finish this quickly. No doubt our "friend" at the Coliseum is growing impatient… I have no doubt that flying Rahi bait of his is reporting on our progress. After we finish with the Toa, Krekka and I will have to discuss Nivawk's future. _Even as Matau and Vakama were still falling, Nidhiki smiled. _I wonder how Dume's little pet would look mounted on my wall? _


	4. Chapter 4

Turaga Dume looked out over his beloved city from the tower of the Coliseum. Beside him stood a Vahki Zadakh as a bodyguard, with a Vahki Rorzakh behind them as a messenger. The suns were beginning to darken and set over the City of Legends, casting long shadows and a vibrant red tint to cover the city. Clouds gathered around to cut off the light for the night, but still, for just under an hour more, it would still shine as time passed.

"The time is drawing near," the elder of the city said to the brown-armored Vahki next to him. It wasn't much of a conversationalist, but it was the nearest confidant he had. "And still three Toa plague me with their interference."

Dume glanced up to the darkening sky, resolve in his aged eyes and hunched form. "They cannot be allowed to block the destiny of the Matoran." The Turaga turned to look at the order enforcer, causing it to crouch lower and await the next statement. "You know what to do," Dume said. "They will attempt to free their friends. They must not succeed."

The Zadakh nodded once, then left to prepare. Behind Dume, the Rorzakh stepped up to take its place. Dume watched the small exchange before turning to survey Metru Nui's iconic skyline again—he loved that sight, from the forges, to the chutes, to the towers, to the sculptures. Among those elements, he spotted something that was not part of Metru Nui. It was a lean, agile flying Rahi. Long legs with spikes on its knees and claws on its feet made up the creature's lower half. The top portion was recognizable by the two expansive wings it used to fly.

"Ah, Nivawk returns, with good news, I trust," Dume murmured to himself.

Nivawk routinely landed next to Dume and pulled its wing over its face as it began talking to him. The two of them were at the highest point of the city and alone. No one but Dume would even understand the language, but if there were a translator or someone who knew how to learn the language, this was simply an extra practiced step of precaution and security. Nivawk squawked in a language that relayed everything it had seen—the Toa's fight against the Vahki, their struggle on the chute, and, most recently, the Dark Hunters forcing their way onto the airship in pursuit.

Dume listened until Nivawk finished. He pushed his lips together in thought before saying, "Return to the airship, and make sure the Dark Hunters succeed." With conviction, he jabbed his staff against the floor of the Coliseum. "For the sake of all the Matoran, the Toa Metru must fall!"

Nivawk squawked in reply, then took to the skies again, flying in the direction of the district of Le-Metru.

X X X

Nuju's concentration was broken by the sound of metal against stone. Sitting with his back against the cell wall, he had begun to think about his existence as a Toa a few moments ago. Now, some close cacophony was blocking his logical thoughts from proceeding. He looked up in aggravation, seeing Onewa swing his tools against the wall, obliterating a large portion. The Toa of Ice was familiar with the open skies of Ko-Metru, where beings were actually _punished _for disturbing his studies. Now, Onewa was acting like he was back at home, carving away to a synchronous rhythm.

"_What_ are you doing?" he asked sharply.

Onewa's arms slumped—from surprise, not fatigue. He turned to look at Nuju. "Are you serious?" He looked at his work, then back at the white Toa. "Let's think about it… Got it! I'm _escaping_," he shot back. "Didn't you hear my plan?"

Nuju didn't respond.

Onewa groaned. "I'll carve an opening in the cell wall large enough for us to fit through. Once we make it through the architecture, Whenua's drills can do the rest."

Nuju looked over to see Whenua lift his inactive earthshock drills, simply showing he was in support, if unconvinced. "We have to do something, Nuju. We have to keep trying—we're Toa," the Toa of Earth said. "Toa save the city. And the city needs us now more than ever."

Nuju dropped his gaze to ponder that, until Onewa clanked again. That time, though, he had succeeded in bringing down the stone wall. Behind, tightly-packed earth rested and began to tumble through the opening. "Alright, archivist—you're up," the Stone Toa said, backing away.

Whenua came over. He started to lean toward the wall, preparing to drill, then stopped to ask Onewa, "Loud or quiet?"

"The Vahki probably heard me," Onewa replied. "Loud."

"Wait a moment," Nuju said, quickly standing up in protest. "We are going to run from Rorzakh again?"

"And what would you do instead?" asked Onewa, facing him. "Wait here for help? Help from our leader, Dume? Or our protectors, the Vahki?"

"The other Toa are still out there," Nuju said.

Onewa stepped forward, challenging the Toa of Ice. "Yeah? Well we're Toa in here, too. And I'm not going to sit around, waiting for someone else to come rescue me." He held his Toa tools up between him and Nuju. "Not as long as I've got these."

Nuju waited before replying. "I can't say I like our chances."

"Then stay here," Onewa said casually, then he turned back to Whenua. "Do it."

Whenua nodded, despite the tension, revving his drills to a fast vibrating and rotating speed. Then he set them into the earth of the prison wall, quickly carving a new tunnel onward. Onewa retracted his proto pitons before hunching down into Whenua's work, too.

Nuju started to take a step forward but stopped when he heard an alarm ring out through the bars of their cell. A red rotating light was spinning at a fast pace, alerting the enforcers to the break-out attempt. _I like our options more than our chances, _he thought to himself, icing over the door to buy time. _And I dislike our options. _

Then he turned back to the fast progress the Toa of Earth was making and ran through the tunnel.

X X X

"Owwww!"

Matau's comedic cry of pain rang out a few seconds after he and Vakama hit the ground. The Toa of Fire's layer of ice did not make the fall any more pleasant, or his weight any lesser. Nokama, off to the side, let out a sigh of relief as her shoulders slumped from their tensed position—Matau had saved Vakama once again.

Nidhiki and Krekka still watched from their overhanging truss of the airship, gusts of the high-altitude winds blowing into the vessel from their entry. Nidhiki frowned at the sight of the Toa's rescue. "Smash the Toa of Fire into fragments," he ordered the blue-and-white giant. "I will deal with Nokama."

"Fun," Krekka growled, jumping off the metal. He landed ungracefully with a large crash not far from Matau, beginning to stalk toward the two.

Up above, Nidhiki crawled over to get a better view through the cargo containers. He stood at a curve, not right-side-up, nor exactly sideways on the platform's edge. Snapping his large pincers in anticipation, he charged an energy net. "Time to end this, Toa of Water!" he hissed down, launching three sizzling bolts at his target.

Nokama ducked underneath the first, dove and rolled to avoid the second and finished by slicing the third into a dissipation with her tools. Then she spun again, hurling one of her hydroblades in Nidhiki's direction. "I agree!" she called.

The tool's sharp-edged head flew straight through the air, its flexible cable trailing behind. Nidhiki quickly jumped out of the way, an impressive feat for his odd body. His four green-and-silver legs propelled him from one part of the ledge to another, where his upper humanoid form's arms swayed to reacquire his balance. "Ha! You missed, little Matoran!" he taunted.

Nokama grew determined. "I'm not a Matoran. I'm a Toa." The flying Toa tool kept on course, shearing through two supports of another walkway. Those supports doubled as suspension security for the ledge Nidhiki was on—something Nokama had noticed, but the Dark Hunter had not. She stood tall. "And I never miss," she ended, as the entire walkway slanted forward before falling to the ground of the storage room.

"No!" Nidhiki cried, falling with the ledge. The metal's own weight, now unevenly supported, tore in half as the Dark Hunter fell below to the rest of the battle scene. The latter half of the support promptly landed on top of him.

Meanwhile, Matau was having trouble finding a way to keep Krekka at bay. His swords hadn't proved much use against the brute's armor, and wind blasts and currents hadn't been strong enough to have an effect. Anything larger would just affect the other Toa. Consequently he had resorted to simply annoying the Dark Hunter with quick-witted comments, and fast movements, punctuated by the occasional punch and kick.

_Whatever distracts him, I think-guess… _Matau thought to himself. _Shouldn't be too hard. _

Krekka received another kick, this time to the back of his leg and followed by a _clang _of Matau's aero slicers on his shoulder. Krekka turned, swinging his arm, but Matau had already flipped away. "Stand still, Toa!" he commanded, frustrated. "Quicker that way."

Matau's misdirection affected Krekka so much the Dark Hunter didn't even notice his original goal had just gotten harder. Vakama's ice shattered into tiny ice fragments and puddles of water. _Finally managed to generate enough heat to free myself…that must have been a strong disk, _Vakama thought. He looked around at the scene to see where his efforts were most needed. Nokama stood over rubble, not confident enough to go searching through, but obviously the victor of a short battle. The Toa of Air, however, was still enacting his hit-and-run strategy. With that, Vakama started over to him.

Matau saw Krekka prepare and then launch a Kanoka disk. The glimpse he caught was that it was some kind of Po-Metru disk. Something that strong would have enough physical strength to send him out the wall of the airship…if the disk's effects didn't do him in, first. He ducked underneath at the last second, letting it fly overhead and punch another hole in the airship, as predicted.

Krekka stamped on the ground with both feet in anger. He pointed accusingly at Matau. "No fair! You moved!"

Matau raised an eyebrow, wondering if perhaps he had overestimated Krekka's intelligence. Still crouched, he glanced over his shoulder at the new hole, then back at the Dark Hunter. "Noticed that, did you?" he muttered.

But Krekka's comment had not amused Vakama, only angered him. Disk already loaded, he aimed at Krekka. "You kidnap a Toa, threaten Matoran, and try to harm us—and you dare talk about what's 'fair'!?" He fired his Kanoka, earning a direct hit on the surprised adversary. "Take a trip, Dark Hunter!"

The The Le-Metru disk flew straight, true, and fast. As soon as it contacted Krekka's form, he warped out of view in a mix of blue, purple, and red light. Matau stood back up, nearing Vakama. Looking back and forth between Vakama and the spot where Krekka had been, he asked, "You teleported him…but to where?"

Vakama turned away, shrugging. "I don't know," he replied.

X X X

Krekka was confused.

That happened a lot, but it was hard enough to keep up with the complicated world as it was, let alone when reality changes in an instant. One moment, he was about to surely hit the green Toa with a second Kanoka disk, the next, he was nearly sixty bios high over Ta-Metru.

He wasn't there very long, though. In fact, it was only about four seconds before he was back on the ground of Ta-Metru, his arrival accompanied by the sound of an explosive crash. (Teleportation could be disorienting for any being, which was undoubtedly the reason why he didn't think to fly.) The Ta-Metru furnace that had embraced him back to the city crumbled when he struck through it. Among the rubble, Krekka wasn't thinking much when he got back to his feet to try to make a new plan without Nidhiki.

_Hate Toa. _

X X X

Vakama and Matau walked over to where Nokama was. She stood ready, but not wary, with both her tools back in hand. "He's in there," she said. "And still alive, though he might want us to think otherwise."

As if hearing her, the crumpled metal began to stir as Nidhiki pushed himself up through it. "I see you have spirit, little Toa," he said, as he rose. "I hate spirit."

With the odds now three-on-one, the Toa felt much more confident in the next conflict. But Nokama knew there was a time and place for everything, and fighting Nidhiki here, now, was not the best use of their time. "We will settle with you later, after we have freed Toa Lhikan," she said boldly.

Nidhiki smiled, laughing a sinister chortle. He launched a weakness Kanoka at the doorway to the storage area, decimating the exit. His pincer gestured over his shoulder at the hole he and Krekka had created to board. "And how do you propose to leave here? Do you think you can go through me?" He opened his pincers, preparing for a charge. After all, it seemed like what most Toa would do.

Instead, Vakama and Matau grabbed Nokama's arms. "Actually…" Vakama began, as he placed his disk launcher on his back and Matau readied his wings.

"We were thinking…" Nokama continued, smiling.

"Over you!" Matau finished. The two on either side of Nokama took off, Matau with his powers and Vakama with his tool. Nidhiki reached overhead with his claws, but missed. By the time he loaded a Kanoka, the three were already through the hole in the airship and soaring over the city.

"Let's go!" Vakama instructed. "Toa Lhikan is waiting!"

"But we are too sky-high!" Matau said. "Too many Vahki eyes!"

"Looks like someone will have to settle for more 'ground-walking'," Nokama teased, earning an eye-roll from Matau. Begrudgingly, the Toa of Air helped steer them to a safe landing, where they could resume their travel on foot.

X X X

Still aboard the airship, Nidhiki watched through the opening, his eyes trailing after the Toa until they were lost from view. _I could pursue them, but better to find Krekka, _he thought, smiling. _After all, I know where they are going, even if they don't…and I can get there first. _

Then his eyes spotted something else, and his smile disappeared. His glance rested on another aerial being, this one no Toa, possessing taloned feet and large wings. Already it was turning back from the spectacle and moving in the direction of the Coliseum.

Nidhiki scowled in irritation. _Fly home, creature, _he commanded Nivawk in his mind. Somehow tricking himself into believing it was following his own orders made its constant spying more bearable. The Dark Hunter converted to his own flight mode and left the aircraft. _Tell your master one battle was lost, _he continued, _but the war is far from over. _

X X X

"Why we ever decided to give these things Rahi-like sound effects, I'll never know," Onewa muttered to himself.

The machine in front of him, Nuju, and Whenua was letting out another high-pitched fluttering screech as it stalked toward them. Six insectoid legs carried its swaying reptilian design. The number of joints and links down its spine and side supports allowed its body more fluid motion than the Vahki, truly giving its mechanical form an organic image. It loaded and charged a Kanoka disk, shooting at Nuju. Onewa pushed him out of the way just in time, then had to turn to hold off a Rorzakh. After pushing it back with his tools, he checked back on the Kraahu, seeing that it was still coming for him and the Toa of Ice.

Nuju pointed his crystal spikes toward the prison area floor and let his power loose, icing over the surface. "Onewa, Whenua, grab hold of something!" he ordered.

Onewa slung his proto pitons into the ground and Whenua dug his drills in as handholds. Nuju followed by firing an ice blast at the Kraahu, trying to take out the biggest threat first. The elemental attack hit it, sending it skidding in a circle. Nuju's triumph was cut short, though. The tips of the Kraahu's spiked legs suddenly branched out into three smaller spikes, each, which cut through the ice like his own snowshoes would. Then it righted itself and stalked back toward the Toa.

"That's a problem," Whenua commented at the sight.

"We've got twelve more," Onewa answered.

The two squads of Rorzakh and Zadakh that had arrived to stop their break-out were initially neutralized by the ice, but quickly adapted into their flight mode, spinning back toward the Toa. Now six of each kind raced back to apprehend the heroes.

Nuju recalled the elemental ice sheet. It had been a good idea, but it had run its course and failed. The Vahki were flying toward him and his comrades in front and the Kraahu was still leisurely approaching them from behind. "Onewa, can you think of any weaknesses to the Kraahu?"

The Toa of Stone slung his proto pitons toward two Vahki, taking them out of the air. "High-power electricity, magnetism, and maybe superheated substances," he called back. "Nothing we have here!"

Nuju wasn't even going to look around. Here, in this damp, dark prison cave in an unknown location, there were no magnetic devices, superheated weapons, or electric Kanoka lying around. The only option he saw was that the Kraahu, as an elite enforcer, was not designed to chase as effectively as the regular Vahki. It could pursue, defend, and protect, but not trace with the same versatility and speed, due to its size.

"Whenua, Onewa, if we can defeat the Vahki, we might have a chance!" Nuju called.

That assessment quickly changed, however. The Kraahu wasn't just impressive mechanics and strong servos. It hunched down, bending its legs to lower it as it moved toward the Toa. From underneath its Kanoka disk launching "mouth", a pressurized yellow gas hissed out in the direction of the Toa. It wasn't meant for the Vahki, but that didn't matter. It wouldn't affect them—they didn't need to breathe. The Toa, on the hand, would need to choose between not breathing and either winding up a prisoner again or a new exhibit in the Archives.

Even though they had just switched, Nuju backed up to the Toa of Stone. "Um, Onewa?"

Turning around, Onewa became just as concerned, but thought fast. "Whenua! See if you can blow that stun gas away!" he ordered, quickly turning around the grapple with a Rorzakh.

"Too bad Matau's not here," Whenua muttered, dropping his guard to activate his earthshock drills. They didn't work as effectively as a controlled windstorm would, but when he swung their rotating shafts at the gas cloud, it still momentarily dispersed.

Nuju aimed his crystal spikes at Vahki after Vahki, quickly icing over them or firing a bolt of ice that critically damaged it. Onewa was next to him, slinging his weapons at the enforcers, too, driving them back. When he glanced over his shoulder and saw that Whenua's drills had pushed the Kraahu's stun gas back, he moved to distract the elite order enforcer. That left Nuju to shift positions and continue to hold off the Rorzakh and Zadakh on his own, but he knew that the Kraahu was more deserving of two Toa than even a dozen ordinary Vahki.

The fight went their way for a while. Nuju and Onewa were able to cover each others' backs against the Vahki, slowly dropping the numbers of the stone and earth enforcers' squads. Whenua was able to penetrate the stone floor and tunnel into the earth with his drills. Moving through the ground below, he surprised and distracted the Kraahu time after time.

Then the plan met with simultaneous success and failure. Nuju and Onewa managed to defeat all but one Vahki Zadakh. It slipped through their final team attack, hitting Onewa with its Staff of Suggestion. Nuju quickly corrected his aim and swung his spikes at the machine, crippling it, but not before giving Onewa new directive. Under its influence, he sent a ripple through the stone ground, knocking Whenua off his feet before he could tunnel again.

Nuju came over to the Toa of Stone, weapons still ready. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Onewa replied. "Thanks."

"Am I speaking with Onewa?"

The Toa of Stone shot him an irritated glance. "_Yes. _If you didn't spend all day with your head in the stars and actually paid attention to your city below, you'd know." Nuju lowered his weapons as Onewa picked up his fallen Toa tools from the struggle. "Nuurakh Staffs of Command have a lasting effect, even after the Vahki are destroyed. Sometimes that can be too much, though, so Zadakh's powers are different. They only last as long as the Vahki is sending those suggestions. Yes—it's Onewa."

"I am convinced," Nuju said sharply, running back to the Kraahu.

Meanwhile, the Kraahu had moved into a position towering over Whenua, with the Toa of Earth under its center body and in the center of its six legs. "Uh, guys?" Whenua asked. He moved back and forth, desperately trying to evade capture from the middle two, while the other four kept the Kraahu standing tall. It shrieked again as it lunged for him, barely missing.

Nuju came running at the machine, causing it to pause and turn toward him. Then it shifted its weight from four to three legs, with its middle two still jabbing and grabbing at Whenua. Its unused front right leg pointed at Nuju before shooting off in his direction. It nailed into him, knocking him off his feet and onto his back. He cried in surprise as the leg continued to fight him even on the ground, its three joints allowing it to take the form of a spearheaded, snake-like enemy. It wasn't long, though, before it managed to snake between his arms and torso and release a high-power electric shock. The attack jolted Nuju into a spastic state before he finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

The Kraahu called back its remote-acting leg from the defeated Toa of Ice. Its body shook as the leg flew back into place, only for all its joints to separate and attack right after.

Onewa put up a good fight, trying to raise stone barriers to protect himself by jabbing his tools into the ground. But before long, he, too, fell before the electric onslaught of three "leg-snakes" attacking from three different directions at once.

Last was Whenua, who managed to avoid, evade, and run away from the appendages. The large body of the Kraahu, now hovering without any legs to support it, tracked him with its Kanoka launcher. It fired a level 6 weakness disk at the Toa of Earth, and when it hit, he was the final Toa to go down.

* * *

**Editor's Note: There is some material in this chapter that is not actually canon, but was written completely by me. The material to which I'm referring contains two scenes: the prison escape attempt by Onewa, Nuju, and Whenua and the scene where they fight Vahki and a Kraahu. I just wanted to explain that they are not canon, and then follow up with why they were added. **

**Simply put, they help fill in a hole of the timeline. In the comics, we see those three Toa imprisoned by Rorzakh in Onu-Metru while they still have their weapons. But the next time we see them is in the book/movie, imprisoned in Po-Metru WITHOUT their weapons. ****This could be excused as a simple artistic rendering in the comic to make them look more like their toy counterparts, except that there is a direct quote by Onewa pointing out that they still HAVE their tools. Addressing this fact with a quote seems much more deliberate. (That scene was compiled in the Chapter 3.) Then, in the book/movie, there are comments about them NOT HAVING their Toa tools/weapons. **

**So, to fill in the blank between whether they do or don't have their tools and the Metru where they're located, I included those two self-written scenes. In the first, they attempt to break out; in the second they fight a Kraahu and fail. I chose a Kraahu because we get to see a Kranua later in-story, but we never actually see a Kraahu in action. I thought the setting of these self-written scenes would be an effective/appropriate place to put its appearance, and the scenes help explain how the three Toa would have been moved to a more secure location with their weapons confiscated. **

**I hope that wasn't too long or complicated of an explanation. I just want my readers to know where all this material is coming from. Thank you for reading! **


	5. Chapter 5

Vakama fell to his knees, the images of familiar faces bringing a whirl of emotion, swirling in him as fast as those faces and masks orbited around him. Nuju, Matau, Whenua, Nokama, and Onewa…his teammates, but skeptics, untrusting and reprehensive. Vakama's hands came to the sides of his mask, trying to steady the nauseous feeling whelming in his mind.

His eyes widened as he saw Toa Lhikan's mask fly in front of him, from off to the side, among the swirl. It was only there for a second, before it was overtaken by the two faces of Nidhiki and Krekka, their eyes glowing deep, uncomfortable presences amidst the rest of the void.

Then the Dark Hunters, too, fell away, as another mask, darker than any other, rose out of the shadows. It seemed to grow out of the very Dark Hunters themselves, before taking the center stage in his sight. Meanwhile, the other masks—his Toa allies, Lhikan, and the Hunters—continued spinning faster and faster.

"Stop!" Vakama screamed. He wanted nothing but to escape.

Then he did. Now he was standing with his disk launcher in hand, unsure of where he was, but it was clear what had happened. This had gone from a vision…to a nightmare. He stood on an inclined, narrow path of stone. Around, the sky was nothing but darkened shadow, interrupted only by the haphazard flashes of lightning.

In the dim lighting, Vakama did his best to take in the new surroundings. Still beings lay scattered on the ground around him—the other Toa Metru. Vakama wasn't even sure if they were alive. Whenua lay on his back with his drills on his chest, broken and battered. Nokama lay on her chest, her arms outstretched from her form and her mouth open, as if her life had ended during a sceam. Nuju lay farther away, the darkness making it difficult to tell if his crystal spikes were near him…or in him. Matau laid on his side, with one aero slicer visibly broken in two and the other melting in a nearby puddle of some corrosive substance. Lastly, looking to the cliff off to his left, Vakama saw Onewa's arm hanging on to the ledge. The Toa of Fire felt nausea return to him as he found himself hoping that the rest of the Toa of Stone was still attached.

A booming sound yanked his attention back in front of him, to their adversary. No more than five bio in front of him, a monster loomed, towering over him in a way he had never felt before. The armored colossus in front of him, the reason his allies were scattered around the ground, had taken a step closer.

Long arms and legs supported the enormous being. It was covered in thick layers of armor plating, resembling an odd amalgamation and summation of his worst nightmares—the most sinister and darkest intent he could imagine, embodied in the simultaneous forms and armor of Nidhiki, Krekka, Nivawk, and Dume.

Pointed claws made up something of a hand on the being's right arm, while shredding claws resembled a hand on its left. Wings larger than its arms sprouted from the being's shoulders, forming a regal, crown-like array of death and spikes over its head. And on its head was a dark Kanohi covering menacing eyes, underneath which savage jaws laughed as it leaned closer to the Toa of Fire.

Vakama was hoping that he was going to wake up from this nightmare soon…because if he didn't, he might never wake up again.

X X X

_Vakama aimed his disk launcher at the giant to fire a Ga-Metru shrink Kanoka. But when he tried to fire, the weapon wouldn't work, and he doubted the combination in front of him would give him time to fix it. _

_The darkened, razor-mouthed being stood tall on its long legs, now towering several bio high over the Toa of Fire. But instead of smashing, eating, or shredding Vakama, the ultimate colossus took two steps back. This did nothing to ease Vakama's worry, though, as its chest now began to crackle with energy. A moment longer and a large hand made of shadow erupted from the being's center, more intimidating and fear-inducing than any physical attack could have been. _

_Vakama stood in horror. He wanted to move, but his vision was keeping his body from doing what he wanted. "Nokama! Matau!" he shouted to their still bodies. But no help came. _This would be a really good time to wake up_, he thought, desperately holding onto his sanity, struggling to remember what was real and what was fantasy. _

_The shadow hand grabbed him now, forcing the air out of him and threatening to crumple him in his own armor. It pulled him back toward the towering monster, who was delighted at Vakama's terror. _

Really, I would even be happy to see Onewa right now! _Vakama thought, remembering back to the animosity he had experienced with his Stone brother before he died. _No! _Vakama caught himself. _This isn't real! Onewa and the others are still there!

_Vakama was nearly at the body of his enemy, the hand still inevitably pulling him toward the source of the shadow hand's power. _Squeezing… _Vakama thought, seeing his vision black out. Even with the blackened sky and commander of darkness in front of him, he knew that his consciousness was fragile. _Can't…everything is starting to fade…I…

X X X

Where am I now? _Vakama wondered, freed from the shadow hand and disturbing mixture of Dark Hunters and Turaga. His head was still spinning, though, and he still felt weak. _Why can't I move? _After a few more seconds of getting his bearings and forcefully evicting the images of that fight from his mind, he realized not all of his head's discomfort was from the battle. _Oh. That's why.

_Vakama was hanging upside-down, suspended in some sort of spun cocoon. The cocoon wrapped all the way around and past his feet, while his head barely protruded out the other end. The cocoon, with Vakama inside, was held high by an entire web that stretched in every direction. As far as the eye could see, nothing existed except for Vakama, in his cocoon, held on the web, which expanded into a hazy mist that blocked all vision. _

_At the sound of a voice at his feet, Vakama jumped in fright. _

"_You think you can save Metru Nui, little flame?" _

_Vakama looked 'down' toward his feet to see Nidhiki's spider-like form crawling toward him on the web, his four legs carrying him along just like some kind of arachnid. Even his arms, too, acted as legs, propelling him on sturdy intersections of webbing to his captive. _

"_You are just a Matoran with delusions of adequacy," Nidhiki continued hissing. Now, he poised himself over Vakama. "Your time has run out, and you don't even know it," he boasted. "Just ask my…brother." _

X X X

_Now Vakama was on his knees, and the ground was some kind of rocky floor. He looked up from his own slumped form to examine his new surroundings. _Well, at least I am out of the web, _he thought, trying to think positively and hold on to hope that this mental labyrinth would soon end. _But where has this vision taken me? This place looks like Nuhrii's living room…

"_Stop asking 'where', Vakama…and starting asking 'why.'" _

_Vakama knew that voice. Turning toward the sound, he quickly got to his feet. "Toa Lhikan!" he said, surprised to see his hero stumbling forward. "But you were captured!" _

_Lhikan's armor was no longer fiery red and worn yet shining gold, but just a solid, protodermic chrome. Behind him, a bright wall of light shown. "Why were you gifted with these visions? Why do you see what others cannot?" Lhikan posed. "And, in Mata Nui's name, why do you resist acting on what you see?" _

_Vakama looked down, lacking a satisfactory answer. _

_Lhikan continued on with a warning, "Beware, my friend. Listen to the warnings of your visions, or—I tell you, certainly—this is the fate that awaits the Toa. Behold…" _

X X X

_In an instant, Vakama was in a new location, this time in some sort of cave network. A glowing stone cast flickering shadows in the cave, but that glowing rock was held by none other than— "Turaga Dume!" Vakama breathed, shocked. The elder of Metru Nui stood directly in front of Vakama, peering around the tunnel corner with his lightstone, as if keeping watch for an enemy. "But…but you ordered the arrest of the Toa!" _

_Dume turned around to face the Toa of Fire. He smiled, putting a reassuring hand on Vakama's arm. "Only in the outside world, Vakama. In your memories, I am still the voice of wisdom you have heeded for most of your life." Dume turned away, leading Vakama down the tunnel. "And it is wisdom you need now," the elder said, as the two walked down the winding path. _

_Dume and Vakama exited the small tunnel they were in, only for the mouth to open up into a larger cave. Dume's light still only revealed the immediate area though. "Your fire generates heat, but precious little light, it seems. So much that you don't see…" Dume's lightstone suddenly lit so bright it illuminated the entire cavern. As it did so, Dume finished, "…what's right in front of you!" _

_At the increase of light, Vakama surveyed the cavern. It was maybe twenty-five bio high, and thirty wide. There was the tunnel he and Dume had come from, but the rest of the walls were simply curved rock faces, arching up to the ceiling of stalactites. The only interesting, and unnervingly familiar sight, in the cave, was a giant, flat web on one side of the cave, its strands stretching out from a point at the center with interconnecting branches to support their weight. And the weight that needed supporting were six tightly wrapped cocoons made out of the same webbing. _

"_What is this place?" Vakama asked the Turaga. _

"_The path you walk leads here, Toa of Fire," Dume answered solemnly, holding his lightstone up to the web. "This is your destination." _

_The two walked closer to the webbing. Whether it was their presence or Dume's light, Vakama wasn't sure, but a disturbance was rising in the cocoons now. They were beginning to wriggle back and forth intensely. It was almost as if their occupants were suffocating inside and desperately needed air. After a few seconds of struggling, one of them began to open, the fatigue in the web fibers obtained from the back-and-forth movements. _

_And it was at that moment Vakama remembered the biggest problem with visions: he couldn't shut his eyes. _

_Two blue hands reached through the small sliver that had opened, prying and tearing the opening wider. They were covered in some kind of slimy incubation fluid, as were the rest of the arms, body, and Kanohi when it emerged. _

"_Nokama?" Vakama asked quietly. _

_Nokama wordlessly continued to push against the cocoon, trying to slip her legs out, despite being upside down. In the other cocoons, similar effects were occurring, with the other four Toa Metru clawing their way out of the organic prisons as well. _

_Matau was the first to completely escape, though it was with no elegance. Free of the cocoon's material suspending him high in the cavern, he fell twelve bio to the hard ground, where he landed and appeared dead. Then, in an undead, puppet-like fashion, his limbs pushed himself up to approach Vakama. _

_The other Toa went through the same experience, freeing themselves triumphantly only to fall, and then unenthusiastically pick themselves back up again. Nokama was the first to address Vakama, although they were all nearing him. "Vakama…why did you lead us here?" she asked. _

_Onewa walked with a drastic limp in his right leg, still covered in a tan-yellow slime. "It's your fault," he murmured. _

"_You were supposed to be wary," Matau accused, his words bubbling through the fluid film covering his Kanohi. He pointed a weak finger at Vakama. _

"_Instead, you doomed us all," Whenua finished, his deep voice bearing none of its usual tone. _

_Vakama took one step backward before freezing. He held up his hands in innocence and defense. "No! I didn't!" he said desperately, Dume now completely forgotten. "I don't even know where we are!" _

_Nokama ignored him, turning her head lazily to look back at the web from which the five Toa Metru had come. "There is one cocoon left, Vakama," she stated, glancing at the highest of the six, still suspended at the centroid of the web. Only now did it start to move and writhe. She turned back to Vakama, looking hard and directly into his eyes. "Would you like to see what's inside?" _

_Before Vakama could answer, Nuju spoke up. "There is an easier way, sister," he moaned, lifting two limp hands. From them, ice poured out, creating a mirror-like sheet angled away from Vakama. The estranged Toa of Ice looked back at the shocked Toa of Fire. "Here, Vakama, look into the mirror…do you want to see the future you will make?" he asked, helpfully holding out the sheet to Vakama. _

_Against all of Vakama's inner desire, he took a step toward the mirror. He didn't want to look, but he couldn't stop himself. _

_He didn't know why, but he was being forced to know the answer. _

_As the image in the mirror curved closer and closer to view, Vakama's distraught nature only increased. Whenua and Onewa came closer, grabbing his arms and holding him in place, while Matau roughly grabbed the back of his head and forced his eyes down. _

_Still, Nuju continued to tilt the mirror. _

"_No…" Vakama protested, shaking. "No…" _

"No!" he shouted.

Nokama stopped walking, turning in surprise to the Toa of Fire. She glanced back at Matau who immediately began looking around for Vahki in the quiet area of Ta-Metru. "Vakama, what is it?" she asked. "Another vision?"

"Hmph…" Matau muttered, reaching his limit with these signs of delusion.

"More like a nightmare…I hope not a prophecy," the Toa of Fire answered, rubbing his head. He looked around, confused. "Where are we?"

Nokama's concern increased. "You don't remember?"

Vakama shook his head.

Even Matau was surprised at that, not making a joke, but eyeing Vakama with suspicion.

"You, Matau and I escaped the airship before the Dark Hunters could capture us," Nokama recounted. "We've landed in Ta-Metru, still on the run. But we have to find the others, and Toa Lhikan."

"And rapid-quick," Matau added, coming over. "The Vahki are sure to be look-searching for us, thanks to Turaga Dume."

Vakama's shoulders slumped at the real-world reminder that Dume, out here, was still their enemy. "Yes, of course," he said, trying to mentally return himself. "Dume…the Vahki…Toa Lhikan. We have to…wait." The ground rumbled and vibrated beneath his feet. "Do you feel that?"

The other two certainly did, as the oscillations increased in size. Nokama pointed a shaking hand. "It's coming from the ruins of the Great Furnace. It couldn't be the Morbuzakh back again, could it?"

Vakama considered that, with all they had seen. He already suspected that the Morbuzakh wasn't what it seemed, but now… _Were Dume and the Morbuzakh connected? _he wondered.

But the tremors continued to grow, until the explosive sounds of protodermis pipes breaking emanated from beneath the surface. "I have a feeling it is something bad-worse," Matau whimpered.

Several bio in front of the assembled Toa, the ground of Ta-Metru erupted, downing two cone-shaped dwellings into the newly created chasm. From it, even as the buildings were collapsing, some kind of Rahi was rising, climbing out of the pit with long, muscular and reptilian legs and shorter, clawed arms. Its main body was in two primary shades of green and curved in a steep C-shape, making it look like the beast was in a sitting or slouching position. From its back were spiny silver fins, and five iconic silver spikes, giving its roaring and red-eyed head a notion of lethality. Its long legs were mostly brown, with small hues of silver and black. The Rahi's light-green arms ended in smaller claws, but "smaller" was relative—they were still large enough to gather up two or three Toa in one grip. To complete the 9 bio tall Rahi, a long, spearheaded tail swayed, maintaining balance and destruction as it climbed out.

Perhaps what was more striking than all its features was what happened next.

"Who disturbs the slumber of the Tahtorak!?" the Rahi called in a booming, deep and guttural, yet understandable voice.

Nokama turned quickly to Matau. "Something 'bad-worse.' Figures, Matau, the one time you're right about something…"

Matau shrugged, craning his neck to look up at the massive Rahi. "Don't blame me. I didn't wake him from his deep-sleep."

"Oh, yes, you did…or rather _we_ did," Vakama said quickly, recognizing the Tahtorak. "Remember? The massive creature we saw beneath the maintenance tunnels in Onu-Metru? It was large, and dark-colored—especially below—but I recognize those silver fins on its head. Our battle with the Krahka must have awakened him."

"Woke up cranky, didn't he?" Matau noticed, drawing his swords.

The Tahtorak spun in a circle, as if scanning its surroundings, looking for something. As it did so, its tail smashed through another row of buildings. Then it turned back to the Toa, yelling, "Tell me the answer, or I will crush this place to rubble!"

"The answer?" Matau repeated. "I don't even guess-know the question!" Calling on his power of air and wind, he jumped into the sky.

Nokama pulled out one of her hydroblades, turning its cable from flexible to rigid. Spinning it in front of her, it deflected or shredded the pieces of rubble coming at her and Vakama, who was busy searching for the right disk. "Be careful, Matau!" she said.

"That was my thought-plan, sister," Matau replied, before speeding up to the Tahtorak.

Once he was in front of it he began flying around it in circles, confusing and distracting it. "Grrrrarr!" it roared, making several attempts to catch Matau in its claws.

Matau was able to evade one claw, but almost found his flight short-lived when he flew straight into the other. Only quick thinking and an acrobatic mid-air twist allowed his body to slip through the claws of the Tahtorak before they closed on him. "Anytime you want to quick-launch that disk would be fine, Vakama!" he yelled in irritation.

The Tahtorak had another idea, though. "Bothersome gnat…" it murmured, its quiet voice still sending noticeable rumbles through the ground. Reaching toward a factory smoke stack, it casually tore it off in its grasp, as simply as a Ga-Matoran botanist might prune a Bula shrub. The Rahi hurled it, lengthwise, toward the Toa of Air like a javelin. "Fly no more!" it called in triumph.

Matau saw it coming but there was no time to turn. Instead, he angled to face it head-on, retracting his wings into a power dive. His aim was true, and without touching any of the scorching hot inner walls of the smoke stack, Matau shot out of the other end. He re-opened his wings and veered into a sharp turn to gain some distance. "Too close!" he said to himself, just as the smoke stack decimated another facility in the distance.

Vakama had finally found what he was looking for. An Onu-Metru disk, coded 667. "Let's see if this helps," he said, aiming the launcher upward at the Tahtorak with one hand.

Nokama turned from the Rahi, looking down another street. She pointed. "Hope so, because we have company, Vakama."

Vakama looked over. A formation of six bodies was flying down from the sky to their position. "Nuurakh!" he confirmed. "And its anyone's guess if they are here to fight that thing or us." Turning back to the Rahi, he fired. He fully expected the high-power shrink disk to have the most helpful effect on the Rahi, but instead, it simply bounced off the armored hide of the beast with a _tink_. Thankfully, the Onu-Metru properties brought the disk back to Vakama, where he caught the projectile with a sweeping motion of his arm.

The Tahtorak turned back to Nokama and Vakama. "You think to stop me with toys!?" it thundered, possibly in anger, possibly in its normal voice.

"Have you wondered how it is this beast speaks Matoran?" Vakama asked.

"Yes, but I doubt we will get a chance to ask him for an explanation, brother," Nokama answered, gesturing toward the street again.

The Vahki were nearly here, flying in to end the disorder. _Nokama is probably right. The Vahki will make short work of this beast, _Vakama thought.

The Tahtorak noticed the new buzzers flying around now, too. More friends of Matau's undoubtedly. They would have to go. Another swing of its tail brought down yet another factory, causing more smoke stacks to bow to the ground before breaking apart. The leader of the squad looked up too late. The group of all six were taken down underneath the falling rocks and metal.

_Or not… _Vakama completed, at the spectacle. "It's up to us, then."

"But the other Toa, and Lhikan—" Nokama began.

"They will have to wait," Vakama answered. "We can't risk letting this creature rampage unchecked. Our city may have turned against us, but we cannot turn against our city. And I think I have an idea."

Not far from the rubble and broken Vahki heads, staffs, and feet that protruded from under it, the Tahtorak turned this way and that, still searching. "Give—me—the answer!" it demanded.

Matau came to land near the two of them, his own question of 'What are we doing?' in his eyes. Vakama pulled out three more Kanoka, handing his brother and sister one each. "I have three weakness disks left."

"That's not enough to end this fight," Nokama disagreed.

Matau smiled, taking the disk. "Not if we are aiming at _him_," he said.

Vakama nodded. Matau grabbed Nokama's arm and took to the sky again as Vakama placed his disk launcher in place to fly as well. The three of them reached a peak before Nokama and Matau prepared to hurl their Kanoka.

"This may not be _the _answer, but it's the only one we have," Vakama said. He cut off his rocket pack function, spinning in the air to load and launch his disk at the target. "Now!" he called.

Matau threw his disk from one hand, while Nokama, hanging onto him, did the same with hers. The three disks clanged together on the ground, striking just a few feet from where the Tahtorak was standing. The beast was incredibly powerful…and incredibly heavy. With the disks' power added to the damage it had already done….

The Tahtorak took one more step, feeling its foot sink into the constructed protodermis like sand, before its entire leg sank. "What madness—?" it started, before the entire ground opened up, weakened and destroyed by the disks, the Rahi's destruction, and its weight. The rest of its form followed its leg into the chasm, sending it tumbling head first into the hole. "Tell me the answer!" it called, while plunging downward. "Tell me the answer!" It's tail swished back and forth against the walls of the vertical tunnel until it was lost from view.

The three Toa came to the edge to see. Matau listened. "He is still long-falling, through level after level," he said. "Is he gone for good?"

"He's gone for now," Vakama replied. "That has to do."

Nokama put away her tools. "Come on, brothers. It's time we were gone too, before more Vahki show up." Matau started walking away, and she followed, before realizing that Vakama was still peering down into the hole. "Come on, Vakama," she encouraged.

Vakama started. "Hm? Oh, sorry, Nokama. I was just thinking…" He walked a quick pace to catch up with the Toa of Water. "The Tahtorak wanted an answer to a question we cannot know. It's efforts brought only destruction…and destruction was all it found."

Matau took to hovering off the ground as the trio walked into the midst of protodermis factories once again. Here, the flames and shadows seemed to gather around Nokama and Vakama. "You know, it's a funny thing about looking for answers, Nokama…" Vakama said.

Nokama looked at the Toa of Fire, wondering sometimes what he had to go through. Vakama, meanwhile, could not get the image of the dark reflection of Nuju's mirror from his vision out of his mind. He walked in Ta-Metru, next to his friends, on a mission. But all he could think about was the mangled picture of his mask, complete with hate, destruction, rage, and a sharp-toothed mouth, destined to lead these very friends to failure, staring right back at him.

"Sometimes you are far better off not finding them…" Vakama finished softly.


	6. Chapter 6

On their way away from the battle site with the Tahtorak, the Toa encountered another Nuurakh squad on their way to investigate. In order to flee the squad, the Toa took another chute, this time leading to Ko-Metru.

Toa Nokama twisted her body to avoid slamming into a freight sled, then used her hydroblades to reright herself. Behind her, Vakama and Matau did the same while trying to maintain their grip on items flying through the chutes. Nokama could take the form of a swimmer, while the other two simply rode along a piece of cargo. It was the height of the Metru Nui traffic rush and freight convoys were roaring by at alarming speeds.

Still, Nokama's Toa strength and agility made it a task she could handle. The real challenge was figuring out where in Metru Nui they could go that the Vahki could not follow.

X X X

Inside the Le-Metru control room that governed the chutes, a very frightened Matoran looked for help—but there was none coming. The Matoran's name was Kongu, and in ages of work he had never run into anything more dangerous than the occasional force sphere or chute breakdown. Now, held in the grip of the Dark Hunter called Krekka, he knew the true meaning of fear.

"But…the entire system will explode if I reverse the flow!" he cried.

In the background, Nidhiki hissed. He was vicious and cunning, with no regard for duty or honor. He was extremely intelligent and understood that fear could sometimes be a more powerful tool than force. "Do it…" he said softly. He clamped a pincer open and shut twice, allowing its slicing metal sound to propagate.

Krekka, too, raised a powerful arm so that Kongu could get a hint of his fate if he refused to cooperate.

"Then again, it might work," Kongu said weakly. His hand slammed on a button, and with a great whoosh the magnetized protodermis pumps that powered the chutes began to reverse.

X X X

The Toa's journey came to an abrupt halt. All forward motion stopped in the chutes at once, leaving heroes, Matoran, and freight sleds hanging suspended in the energy field. Vakama and Matau looked at each other and shrugged.

Then, with an ear-splitting roar, the flow of the chutes suddenly reversed itself. The Toa tumbled backward, out of control, smashing into the walls as the transport system picked up speed. There was nothing to grab on to, no way to gain traction. Even thinking was difficult with the constant collisions.

Nokama somersaulted end over end, catching a glimpse of a freight sled spinning madly and heading in her direction. At the last moment, she and the other Toa flattened themselves against the walls and took only glancing blows from the vehicle.

_This can't go on, _thought Nokama. _It's only a matter of time before something strikes us…or worse, we end up back where we started, in the hands of the Vahki._

With that fate in mind, Nokama dug her twin hydro blades into the bottom of the chute. Holding on to the blades with one hand, she grabbed Vakama with the other. Then Vakama grabbed Matau, linking them all together in a chain.

His motion stabilized, Matau freed his aero slicer and carved a hole in the bottom of the tube. He looked up to see another out-of-control freight sled bearing down on them. In the instant before it would have struck, the three Toa plunged through the hole and into space.

X X X

To Whenua, it didn't seem like things could get any worse. He, Nuju, and Onewa had awakened in a cell, complete with thick rock walls and a solid metal door. Their Toa tools were missing. Worse, not only were they trapped, but they were being tortured by each other's company.

Onewa jumped up, catching the bars of a grate in the ceiling. He swung his legs up to either side of the metal and began pulling upside-down, grunting in between, "Gotta—get—out of—here!" He sighed, then swung his legs back down to stand on Whenua's shoulders again.

"This is just great," Whenua growled underneath, holding Onewa's ankles to help balance him. "Before, when I woke up, all I worried about was cataloging. Now I will go down in history as Metru Nui's most wanted."

Onewa studied the stone walls. His time as a carver had helped him master the art of finding weak points in rock. But this cell did not seem to have any. From the grate in the ceiling, however, he had an idea of where they were—the Canyon of Unending Whispers. This once lonely spot on the border of Po-Metru and Onu-Metru had become the scene of a great deal of activity in recent times. Large numbers of Vahki Zadakh had been seen moving in and out of the canyon. Some Matoran had also mentioned seeing a strange four-legged creature and a massive brute slipping down the trails that lead to the caverns. The reasons for all this sudden activity in a desolate region of Metru had remained a mystery…until now.

_Turaga Dume has some new prison here, _Onewa thought. _And the two Dark Hunters, the ones Vakama described, have something to do with it. _The cell seemed unbreakable. The Toa were trapped with an unknown fate. And Vakama had been right about the hunters. Whenua's complaints only added to his frustration. "You?" he asked, jerking on the grate again uselessly. "I'm the one suffering here, locked up with a Ko-Matoran big brain and an Onu-Matoran stock clerk."

"Hey, whoa," Whenua reacted. He gave a nudge to Onewa's ankles, forcing the Stone Toa down. For the sixth time in the last several minutes, Whenua tried the door. It was still locked tight.

This subterranean site was being used by the Dark Hunters to hold their captives. No one knew who may be here or why the Dark Hunters were taking prisoners at all. It had been the expectation of outsiders that the Vahki would handle this situation in time, but obviously little had been done.

Nuju simply stood by and watched. He respected Nokama, could tolerate Vakama, and had managed to set aside at least a few of his difference with Whenua. Onewa and Matau, on the other hand, got on his nerves and he would rather simply not work with them. But now, the environmental context didn't bring a retort, simply more thought. For one used to the unlimited view from atop a Knowledge Tower, being confined like this was…disturbing. "We will never escape," he muttered, sitting down roughly to stare at the ground. "Our freedom is gone. Our future is _hopeless_."

"Toa, giving up hope?"

The words came from a darkened corner of the cell. All three Toa Metru started in surprise—they had never imagined someone else was in the cell with them. Now they could see a lone figure sitting in a meditative pose, head down. He wore a robe with an oversized hood that hid his mask. Who was this extra cellmate? And why was he here?

X X X

The Toa of Water, Fire, and Air hung in mid-air, high above Metru Nui. Nokama clung to her hydroblades, hooked on to the nearest support of the chute, while Vakama held on to her ankle. With his free hand, he clutched Matau.

"Everyone alright?" asked Nokama.

Matau looked up from where he dangled above the city. "Oh, sure-fine," he said sarcastically. "Just enjoying the view!"

Nokama looked down at Vakama. The Toa of Fire was staring off into space. "Vakama?" she said.

But Vakama was no longer there, at least not in his mind. He was lost in another vision….

_He was standing next to Toa Lhikan. But as Vakama moved to greet his lost friend, the Toa suddenly transformed into a blinding burst of energy. The sphere of light hovered in the air for a moment before launching skyward. _

_Vakama lifted his gaze to watch it streak across the night sky. As it sped across the blackness, the energy field shifted and changed until it resembled the shooting stars studied by Ko-Metru scholars. But it was no random astronomical event—no, it looked more like an arrow pointing toward.…_

With a start, Vakama snapped out of his trance. Nokama was looking down at him, concerned. "Another foreseeing?" asked the Toa of Water.

Vakama nodded, a little embarrassed.

"How about less vision-seeing and more Toa-saving?" shouted Matau.

Nokama glanced up to see that her hydro blades were losing their grip on the chute. "We're slipping!" she said to the others.

Vakama tried to gesture with his head as best he could. "Can we make it to that tower?"

Nokama looked forward. Nearly twenty-five bios ahead was the next support for the chute. Her tools jerked again. "We're going to have to," she replied. Fighting to stay calm, she began to swing, the movement of her body forcing the other Toa to move as well. Slowly they gained momentum, arcing toward the nearby support tower and then back again. With each swing, the hydro blades lost a bit more of their grip.

At the apex of the next swing, the Toa tools suddenly came loose. Nokama hurled herself through the air and grabbed onto the support tower. But the jolt rocked Vakama and Matau, causing the Toa of Fire to lose his grip. The Toa of Air plunged toward the ground far below.

"Matau!" cried Vakama.

But the Toa of Air could not hear him over the sound of the wind rushing in his ears. Arms and legs outstretched, he was desperately wishing he had mastered his Great Mask of Power. _Unless, of course, it was a useless-dumb power like water breathing, _he thought. _But if it was something like levitation, that would be really welcome-fine right now…._

Even as the thought crossed his mind, his fall became a controlled glide. His aero slicers caught the wind, acting like wings. A broad grin broke out on Matau's face.

"Do you think he's found his mask power?" Vakama asked Nokama.

"My mask power!" Matau yelled happily. "I can—"

The updraft became a downdraft without warning, sending Matau crashing headfirst into a massive screen. "Unnngh! Wind-fly," he groaned.

"Maybe not," Nokama answered with a grimace.

As Matau slid down the screen, Turaga Dume's face glared down from it. "All Matoran should be on the lookout for the false Toa," ordered the elder of Metru Nui.

Up above, Nokama felt her heart sink. Somehow, she did not think this was what Lhikan had in mind when he gave them the Toa Stones.

X X X

Nokama took a swift look around. No, there were no Vahki Keerakh in the area, or even many Matoran, for that matter. This seemed like a safe spot of Ko-Metru for the three Toa Metru to pause and try to sort out what had just happened.

Matau spent the time recovering from his first "solo flight." Nokama had made a point of not teasing him about it, since the Toa of Air seemed to feel bad enough already. Vakama was off by himself, doing something with a pair of Great Disks.

Nokama approached in time to see him move the disks together until they touched. Then something strange happened—the disks softened and began to merge together. Vakama quickly pulled them apart again, puzzled and intrigued.

"Vakama?"

"Huh?" said the Toa of Fire, not looking up.

"What was your last vision?" Nokama asked.

Vakama pointed up to the sky. A yellow streak of light could be seen against the blackness. "That! Toa Lhikan's spirit star. Each Toa has one. As long as it burns in the night sky, Toa Lhikan remains alive!"

"It is headed toward Po-Metru," said Nokama.

Matau had joined the group now. He glanced up at the spirit star, shrugged, and said, "What about our captured Toa-brothers?"

Vakama shook his head. "Only Toa Lhikan can stop Turaga Dume and free the other Toa."

"And how do you propose we quick-catch a spirit star?" demanded Matau.

Nokama scanned the area. Down the road, she spotted a Vahki transport vehicle moving slowly through the Metru. The long vehicle was propelled by a series of insect-like legs. Its cargo was a collection of large silver spheres. Only a single Vahki Bordakh was present, serving as driver.

"Perhaps a way has been revealed, rider," Nokama said, smiling.

Toa of Water and Toa of Air took off at a run for the transport. When they had gone a few steps, Nokama looked back to see that Vakama hadn't moved. He was still toying with the two Great Disks.

"Vakama!" she shouted.

Startled, Vakama returned the disks to his backpack and ran to catch up. As the transport rumbled by, the three of them leaped into the back without being seen. They settled themselves down between tall stacks of silver spheres, the like of which none of them had ever seen before.

"What are these?" wondered Vakama.

"Storage containers," replied Matau. "But most odd-looking."

Vakama brushed his hand against one of the spheres, and his mind exploded….

_Without warning, the sphere sprung open, revealing a Matoran in a coma-like slumber. The next moment, the Matoran's heartlight faded to black. Before Vakama could react, the Matoran's mask began to blur and morph, transforming into that of Turaga Dume. A pair of red eyes blazed at Vakama from Dume's Kanohi mask…._

The Toa of Fire returned to reality with a start. Another vision…and if it were true….

"The Matoran!" he shouted. "They're in danger!" He shoved Matau aside to get at the nearest sphere.

"Hey! Are you cross-wired?" Matau snapped.

Vakama threw the sphere open to find…nothing. Nokama joined him to peer into the empty container. "What's wrong, brother? What do you see?" she asked.

The Toa of Fire stared hard at the darkness in the heart of the sphere. "Nothing, sister. Nothing at all," he said finally.

Matau met Nokama's eyes and spun his hand around, a not-so-subtle way of saying Vakama was crazy. Nokama frowned, part of her wishing she could believe that. It would make things much simpler. But deep down she had a feeling that the situation in Metru Nui was far worse than any of them knew…except, perhaps, Vakama.


	7. Chapter 7

The experience and wisdom evident in the mystery guest's voice told the three Toa this must be a Turaga, though they could not identify him. "Turaga? Forgive me, but I know you not," said Nuju to him.

"Your concern should be with your own identities, not mine," the Turaga said quietly. "Freedom and escape are different objectives, but both are easily realized."

"With all respect, wise one," replied Onewa, "you are stuck in here with us, so—"

"I have freedom…even in here," said the Turaga, gesturing to their surroundings. "But for escape, Toa mask powers are needed."

The Toa exchanged glances. Whatever hope they had felt on encountering the mysterious Turaga was fading fast. "l doubt we will ever be in touch with our mask powers," said Nuju.

"Never doubt what you are capable of," answered the Turaga. "The Great Spirit lives through all of us."

_Trapped in a cell with two Toa wannabes and a crazy Turaga, _thought Onewa. _Next time someone gives me a Toa Stone, I think I will just use it as a doorstop._

X X X

The Vahki transport crawled through the Sculpture Fields. Its final destination remained a mystery, but at this point the farther the Toa were from the Coliseum, the more comfortable they felt.

In the back of the transport, Vakama had succeeded in merging three of the six Great Disks. Nokama watched him at work for a long time before saying, "Vakama, your destiny no longer lies in sculpting masks. You are a Toa."

Vakama shrugged. "I'll never be a real Toa…I don't feel like a Toa. I can't even make a decent mask," he said, holding up the frustrating disk. "I'm just a cross-wired freak with weird dreams." He sighed. "Toa Lhikan, you've got it wrong. I can't be a hero."

Nokama sat beside the Toa she considered to be her best friend among the Toa Metru. She put a hand on his shoulder. "You will. Have faith."

X X X

As the Vahki transport went around a sharp curve, the three Toa Metru leaped out. They were well inside Po-Metru now and there was no point risking discovery by the Vahki at the wheel. They tumbled to safety and stayed low until the transport was out of sight. Then Nokama rose and looked around. "An assemblers' village," she said, although it was obvious to all where they were.

The village consisted of a broad avenue and a series of buildings. Scattered about were machines, furniture and statues, all of them half-finished. That was normal for such a place, but something else set the Toa on edge.

The village was abandoned. Doors banged open and closed in the wind. Tools lay where they had been dropped. Vakama's eyes narrowed as he noticed a stack of silver spheres near one of the buildings, then he moved on.

_This place feels wrong-bad, _thought Matau. "Hello?" he shouted.

No one answered, except for his own echoes.

Puzzled, he turned to Nokama and said, "Guess they all quick-sped."

"Builders do not abandon their projects without good reason," said the Toa of Water.

"Then where is everyone?" asked Vakama.

Krekka burst out of one of the buildings, launching energy bolts at the Toa Metru. "Get ready to find out, Toa!" he bellowed.

Nokama whirled, spinning her hydro blades fast enough to deflect the bolts. Then all three Toa dove for cover behind one of the buildings. But they had hardly hit the ground before Matau was ready to charge back out again.

"A Toa-hero knows no fear!" he said as he raced into the street. Krekka's next blast missed him, and the Toa of Air crowed, "You'll have to do better than that!"

Nidhiki accepted the challenge. Stepping out from behind a building, he hurled an energy web at the Toa. Entangled, Matau hit the ground. "Vakama, Nokama, help! There's a Toa down!" he yelled, struggling to get free.

Hearing his cry, Vakama and Nokama began to circle around the buildings to come to his aid. Meanwhile, Nidhiki and Krekka had both closed in on the captured Toa.

"Calling all Toa!" Krekka shouted. "Your time is up!"

A rapidly growing rumble drowned out anything else he said. The ground beneath their feet began to shake violently. "What's going on?!" Krekka asked, turning to his partner. "Are you doing that?"

"No!" snapped Nidhiki.

"Bioquake?" suggested Vakama.

"Worse!" answered Nokama.

Now a cloud of dust had appeared on the far edge of the village, closing in on the Toa and Dark Hunters. From out of that cloud emerged a herd of fearsome beasts. Large bipeds, their powerful hind legs propelled them forward in huge leaps and bounds. Twin tusks on their lower jaws made the herd look like a spiked wall on the march. Their eyes burned red and deep roars came from their mouths as they stormed through the village.

"Kikanalo!" Nokama shouted.

Massive creatures resembling a cross between a kangaroo and an elephant, great herds of Kikanalo swept across the plains and canyons of Po-Metru semi-regularly. Kikanalo were known for their stampedes and trampling entire villages, but were tolerated by Matoran because their tusks often dug up chunks of protodermis left over from carving projects. Right now, though, their efficiency as recyclers was the last thing on anyone's mind.

The eyes of the Dark Hunters went wide as they saw the herd bearing down upon them. "l hate those things!" said Krekka. His massive form moved amazingly fast as he scrambled to the top of a nearby tower. "I'm outta here."

"No!" yelled Nidhiki. "Stay low!"

But Krekka wasn't listening, and Nidhiki had no more time to worry about him. He dove into a construction trench as the herd thundered closer.

Matau struggled to his feet just as the Kikanalo entered the village. The force of their footfalls sent him flying through the air, to land with a crash near Vakama and Nokama. They darted out and dragged their dazed comrade into a small building.

Now the Kikanalo had made it as far as Krekka's tower. Almost casually, a few of the beasts rammed the tower with their tusks, sending it toppling over. Nidhiki looked up in time to see his partner and the structure falling right toward him.

"Next time, listen to me," he muttered.

Nokama saw Krekka land on top of Nidhiki in the ditch. Using her hydro blades, she cut loose a stack of the strange silver spheres and sent them rolling toward the ditch. Then she ducked back inside as the spheres crashed into the Dark Hunters.

Matau and Vakama watched the Kikanalo trampling and smashing assemblers' huts to bits. "We should quick-flee," said the Toa of Air.

"Nonsense," Nokama replied. "This is the sturdiest structure in the village."

"Nokama—" Vakama began.

The Toa of Water cut him off. "We're staying—"

Suddenly, three Kikanalo crashed through the ceiling of the building. Finding themselves closed in, the beasts panicked and began leaping wildly about, slamming into the Toa again and again. In desperation, Matau grabbed Nokama and Vakama and hurled them out the window before following himself.

He had acted just in time. Behind them, the building exploded as the angry Kikanalo kicked it to pieces. Once free, they leaped away to join the herd.

Nokama looked at Matau. "I was wrong. You were right, my brother."

"It's amazing what you can learn when you're not always speak-teaching," Matau replied.

The approach of more Kikanalo ended the argument as the Toa fled. They were barely staying ahead of the beasts, whose tusks swiped dangerously close to the three heroes. The lead beast was an aged Kikanalo, his hide covered with strange markings and old scars. He gave an impatient snort as he tried to catch up to the Toa Metru.

"What did you say?" Nokama asked Matau.

"l didn't—" Matau stopped in midsentence. Nokama's mask had become illuminated, but the Toa of Water did not seem to notice. "Why is the mask glowing?" he asked.

Then Nokama did the most amazing, shocking thing Matau could ever imagine, under the circumstances: she stopped running. She simply stopped, with a Kikanalo stampede practically on top of her.

"Nokama?" Vakama shouted.

But she was paying no attention to him. She turned to face the onrushing beasts as if they were nothing to fear. Vakama and Matau both winced, sure the herd was about to trample their fellow Toa. The lead Kikanalo gave out an angry snort as it closed in on Nokama.

The Toa of Water responded with a similar sound. The lead Kikanalo, looking stunned, stopped with his tusks mere inches from her mask. The other beasts stopped as well, not in a pileup but like a well-drilled Vahki squad.

The elder Kikanalo's scars began to glow. He snorted aggressively at the Toa who stood before him. Nokama stared into his eyes as a new world opened up for her. Turning back to the Toa, she said excitedly, "Brothers—my mask power!" It was now apparent that Nokama wore a Kanohi Rau, the Great Mask of Translation. The mask allowed the user to translate and communicate in any written or spoken language. She turned back to the lead Kikanalo for a few seconds, then turned to the Toa again. "The chief wants to know…why we are allied…with Dark Hunters."

Vakama could not believe what he was hearing. Could Nokama really understand what these creatures were saying? Or had his visions finally driven sanity from him? No, this seemed real. Certainly his body ached enough from being thrown out a window onto the street. "Um…tell him we're not," he said to Nokama. "We seek a friend the Hunters have taken."

Nokama turned her attention back to the Kikanalo chief and gave a series of animalistic grunts and snorts. The elder beast responded in kind, his body language relaxing. "You are free to pass," Nokama translated, "since we are both against the Hunters who trespass the beauty of the Herdlands…"

"Beauty? Ha! Where?" Matau asked Vakama with a rough bump. "And who knew Kikanalo could think-talk? I just thought they were dumb beasts."

The elder Kikanalo grunted. Nokama chuckled as she reported, "Kikanalo still think the same of tall green Matoran."

"Tall Matoran?" said Matau, shocked. "Hey, now! I am a Toa!"

"Wait, wait," broke in Vakama, with barely contained excitement. "'Tall Matoran?' Ask him if the Dark Hunters trespassed with a 'tall Matoran."'

Nokama nodded and translated Vakama's question into the language of the Kikanalo. The Rahi beast responded with a snort.

"Yes," Nokama said. "They take many things to the 'place of unending whispers."'

"That must be where they have taken Toa Lhikan!" said Vakama.

The elder Kikanalo grunted, as if in agreement. "They will show us the way," Nokama translated.

X X X

The three Toa rode across the plains of Po-Metru on Kikanalo. Behind them, the rest of the herd followed close behind. For the first time, Vakama felt some hope. If they could find Lhikan, rescue him, surely Dume could be stopped. The Toa of Fire had no idea what the Turaga's plans were, or why he had turned against the city, but he had no doubt Lhikan could make things right.

Matau smiled. This was the sort of adventure he had always dreamed of during the long days riding Ussal crabs through Le-Metru. New places, new excitement, a quest to save a captured hero—this was what being a Toa-hero was all about! Laughing, he stood up on the back of the Kikanalo and started spinning around. "Only a great Toa-rider could tame a wild Kikanalo-beast!" he proclaimed.

The Rahi's response was to stop and buck, tossing the Toa of Air onto the ground. Matau landed with a hard thud.

"It seems a 'great Toa-rider' has been tamed," said Nokama. She and Vakama both smiled at the sight of Matau sprawled on the plain. Even he looked up and grinned.

It would be the last time any of them would smile for a long while.

X X X

Whenua had lived in dim light, sometimes almost complete darkness, for much of his life. Like any Onu-Matoran, over time his eyes had adjusted to the point where he could see in the semi-dark. Although much of Onu-Metru was on the surface, Onu-Matoran actually preferred to be in the underground levels of the Archives, because the brightness of the twin suns hurt their sensitive eyes.

Still, nothing had prepared him for the task at hand—trying to make his way around a small cell with a blindfold on. He kept bumping into walls and other Toa, and his temper was coming to a boil faster than protodermis in a Ta-Metru furnace.

The mysterious Turaga was not helping matters any. "Do not rely on your memory," he said. "Look beyond your history and see what is."

Look beyond history? Whenua had been an archivist—he _lived _for history! Telling an Onu-Matoran to forget about the past was like telling a Ko-Matoran to put away the telescope and lighten up. "Hey, I'm not a Rahi bat!" snapped Whenua. "I can't see in the dark."

The Turaga quietly slid a stool into the path of the Toa of Earth. Whenua promptly tripped over it and hit the ground.

Onewa had been watching the whole exercise from his seat on the stone floor. Now he burst out laughing. "Soon you'll be ready for a game of 'pin the tail on the ash bear', record-keeper!"

On the other side of the room, Nuju had spent the last hours transferring stones from one large pile to another. It was exhausting work, made all the more so by the fact that he could not see the point of it. How was hauling rocks going to make him a better Toa? "l could toil at this task forever and still learn nothing for the future," the Toa of Ice complained.

The Turaga shook his head. "You could learn that building the most noble tower begins with the placement of a single stone."

Onewa chuckled again. "Build a tower? A thinker would _never _lay hands on stone! They're too busy with their heads in the stars."

The Turaga turned to Onewa, smiling. "There are lessons for you to learn as well, Toa. A Toa's duty is to all Matoran, regardless of Metru. So…you shall help both your brothers."

Onewa's smile faded, replaced with a dark scowl. The Turaga extended his hands to the Toa of Stone. In one, he held a rock; in the other, a blindfold.


	8. Chapter 8

Dawn was breaking over Po-Metru. As the twin suns shed their light on the canyons, Matau, Nokama, and Vakama lay flat on a ridge, surveying the territory. For Toa used to the crowds and tall buildings of their Metrus, this place was unsettling. Barren, largely uninhabited, its most striking feature was the way echoes emanated from the canyon. It made it seem as if a thousand voices were speaking at once, in tones too low to hear.

The Kikanalo elder grunted. Nokama translated, "The place of unending whispers."

Down below, twenty Vahki Zadakh from Po-Metru guarded an entrance to Onu-Metru. Powerful and aggressive, they would not shrink from a fight with a thousand Toa, let alone three. Worse, one bolt from their tools and a victim became so suggestible that he or she would accept orders from anyone. Anyone who got stunned by a Zadakh could be made to turn on friends in an instant.

"Too many to rush," said Nokama.

"l have a plan. Perhaps we could…" Vakama began.

X X X

Onewa was having an even harder time moving blindfolded than Whenua. Po-Metru carvers relied on their vision and were used to laboring in the bright light of the suns. Darkness was a new world for him, and not one he particularly liked.

He turned in the wrong direction and slammed right into Whenua…causing the stone he was carrying to fall onto his Earth brother's head. The Toa of Earth ripped off his blindfold and turned on the Turaga.

"That was a complete waste of time!" Whenua shouted.

"Without self discovery, you will never find your destiny," the Turaga replied calmly. "It is every Toa's duty to the Great Spirit."

"This whole thing was a load of 'duty,' if you ask me," muttered Whenua.

Onewa stripped off his blindfold. Strangely, he did not seem angry or upset about having to participate in the exercise. "Sit down, Whenua," he said.

The Toa of Earth whirled to face him. "Taking orders from a Turaga was one thing, but from an overgrown hammer-swinger?"

For a moment, the two Toa's eyes were locked on each other. Then Onewa's mask began to glow. Whenua's eyes were glowing now as well, mirroring the look of the Mask of Power. Whenua tried to take a step forward and found that his feet would not move. A second later, he sat down, hard, on the floor, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

"That's it," he seethed. "You're history, builder, even if I don't know how you did that!"

Whenua struggled to rise, arms reaching out to grab hold of Onewa. Nuju frowned at the spectacle of Toa fighting among themselves and snapped, "Stop! Now!"

Now the Toa of Ice's mask was glowing as well. Suddenly, great stones tore loose from one wall of the prison cell. The rocks flew rapidly across the room to form a wall between Onewa and Whenua. Moreover, they had left a sizable gap in the wall, perfect as an escape route.

All three Toa stood there, stunned by the turn of events. Then Nuju and Onewa both spoke at once, saying, "Your mask is glowing—your mask power!"

Nuju reached up to his Kanohi Matatu as Onewa did the same with his Kanohi Komau. When they both ceased concentration, their respective powers of Telekinesis and Mind Control cut off as well; Whenua could move freely again, and Nuju's tower fell abruptly to the ground.

The Turaga simply gestured to the newly made hole in the wall. "I believe the time has come to leave," he said.

X X X

Vahki were rarely, if ever, surprised by anything. After years of tracking down and subduing Rahi of all sorts, the order enforcement squads were experienced at handling almost any situation. Add to that foiling the ingenious attempts by some Matoran to try and take unscheduled vacations from work—one Ta-Matoran, Takua, practically rated an entire Nuurakh squad to himself—and Vahki could safely be said to have seen it all.

But even their visual receptors widened at the sight of Nokama emerging from the hills riding a Kikanalo. Vahki were trained to track, apprehend, and pacify. They were not accustomed to their targets coming to them.

Still, they wasted no time in responding to the Toa Metru's apparent insanity. One squad of Zadakh, stun staffs at the ready, broke off and pursued her. Even as they departed, a second squad spotted Matau on his beast and immediately gave chase. Despite the Zadakh's speed, the Kikanalo's knowledge of the terrain and greater agility allowed him to outdistance the pursuers.

Then came yet another shock for the Vahki. Instead of continuing to run, Matau and his mount suddenly pivoted, reversed course, and charged. "Aha! Toa never quick-flee!" shouted the Toa of Air.

The Vahki responded with blasts from their stun staffs, but the fast-moving Kikanalo leaped over and around the energy bolts. Nor did he show any signs of stopping as he plowed into the Vahki squad, his powerful legs slamming into the enforcers and sending them flying.

Matau smiled broadly as he saw the Vahki falling before his charge. He stood up on the back of the Kikanalo, saying, "Hey, Kikanalo, who's your mas—"

The Rahi looked up at him and gave a warning snort. Matau decided "master" probably wasn't the best term to use with a beast that could scatter Vahki like proto dust in a wind storm. "I meant…who's your…partner?" he said, quickly sitting back down.

X X X

Vakama had left his Kikanalo behind and approached the area on foot. He had hoped Nokama and Matau would have distracted all the Vahki from the entrance, but instead he rounded a corner to find three enforcers waiting for him. Their stun staffs blazed away. Vakama loaded and launched disk after disk, blocking each bolt as it came near. Still, he knew he would run out of Kanoka disks long before the Vahki ran out of power.

Rescue came from above. The elder Kikanalo leaped and landed in between the Toa of Fire and the Vahki. Glaring at the enforcers, he let out a long, low cry. Other Kikanalo emerged from the rocks and joined in the strange sound. It grew louder and louder as more of the Rahi added their voices to the chorus. For a moment, Vakama was convinced he must be going mad—the cry actually seemed to be reaching down into the ground and disturbing the rock.

_No, it's not madness, _he realized. It was really happening. The cry had created a wave in the rocky surface of Po-Metru, which swept quickly toward the Vahki. It struck like a thunderclap, hurtling the enforcers out of sight.

X X X

High on a ridge, Nokama was facing her own problems. She and her Kikanalo had backed up all the way to the edge of a cliff. The Vahki squad was pressing hard. The Toa of Water's hydro blades flashed in the sunlight as she deflected their stun blasts. If the enforcers were frustrated by this, they gave no sign, instead continuing to march forward.

Nokama didn't need to look back. She knew that one more step by the Kikanalo would send them both plunging to their doom. She hoped the Great Spirit had seen to it that Vakama and Matau had been more successful.

The Toa of Water braced herself. The Vahki charged.

A split second later, the squad of Vahki were hanging on for their robotic lives from the edge of the cliff. They had moved forward at full speed to capture a Toa, but when they got there, the Kikanalo jumped high into the air and out of their reach. Unable to stop themselves, the Vahki ran right off the cliff. The Kikanalo returned to earth with a thud.

_The Vahki won't fall for that trick twice. They never do. And they won't give up, either, _Nokama thought as she rode down from the ridge. _I hope the Kikanalo realize the kind of enemies they have made this day._

X X X

Krekka and Nidhiki had arrived in time to see Matau's strategy bring down a Vahki squad. Krekka was still furious at the Kikanalo over the incident in the assemblers' village and wanted to bring the Rahi down. Nidhiki had to explain to him, more than once, that their job was to capture Toa, not dumb beasts.

The insect-like Dark Hunter pointed down to where Matau stood alone on the rocky plain. "Circle right," he ordered. Krekka nodded but struggled for a moment to remember which way was "right." He looked between the two, confused. Lucky for him, Nidhiki moved off to one way already, so Krekka took the other path.

Krekka was most effective when he was following one of Nidhiki's plans. When he tried something on his own, he usually caused lots of damage without really accomplishing much. But when one was as powerful as Krekka, it was easy to fight their way out of any trap they may have walked into.

With some difficulty, Krekka made his way down into the box canyon. He didn't understand why it was necessary to sneak up on the little green Toa—better to just charge in and tackle him. _Yeah, _he said to himself. _That's the thing to do. I'll drag him back to Nidhiki by his mask._

Matau had wandered behind some rocks. Krekka smiled and charged, already imagining how the Toa would beg for mercy. But when he reached the boulders, it wasn't Matau who was waiting there, but Krekka's partner.

"Nidhiki?" Krekka asked, mystified. "Where'd the Toa go?"

"You must've let him slip past," snapped the other Dark Hunter. "Circle the other way back."

Krekka turned and left. He couldn't for the life of him figure out how Matau could have gone behind those rocks and then disappeared. He would have been even more puzzled if he had looked over his shoulder and seen a second Nidhiki approaching in the distance.

When that Nidhiki reached the rocks, it was to see what appeared to be Krekka standing around doing nothing. "Where is the Toa?" Nidhiki demanded.

Krekka shrugged.

"You let him get by you?!"

"Maybe he got by you," rumbled Krekka.

Nidhiki turned away, muttering something about Dark Hunters who weren't bright enough to come in out of a rockslide. Once he was gone, the "Krekka" he had been speaking to morphed into Matau, his mask glowing with Toa power.

"Shapeshifting!" said the Toa of Air. "Some mask powers are worth waiting for!"

Matau mounted his Kikanalo and rode out of the canyon, thanking his Kanohi Mahiki on the way.

X X X

Krekka and Nidhiki spotted each other across the canyon. Both began shouting at once.

"Where's the Toa?" asked Nidhiki.

"How should I know?" wondered Krekka.

"l told you to go that way!"

"You told me to go the other way!"

The canyon turned their voices into more of the "unending whispers" for which it was famous, the echoes of their argument carrying a long way.

X X X

The sounds reached the audio receptors of the last remaining Zadakh, but they were too busy to pay any attention. Snarling Kikanalo surrounded the squad, moving inexorably forward and kicking up a huge cloud of dust in the process. For a long moment, nothing was visible through the dust and the air was filled with Kikanalo snorts. When the cloud finally cleared away, the Vahki lay heaped in a pile.

Nokama and Vakama rode past them. Vakama was still tinkering with the Mask of Power he had created from the Great Disks. They were joined a moment later by Matau.

The elder Kikanalo grunted at Nokama. The Toa of Water dismounted and turned to her fellow Toa. "The chief said not bad…for flat-walkers. They will cover our herd tracks." Then she expressed her thanks to the elder in the language of the Kikanalo.

"Toa Lhikan will be forever in your debt," Vakama said to the elder beast.

Matau had dismounted as well and moved to say goodbye to his Kikanalo. The Rahi acted first, giving the Toa a big, sloppy lick on his mask. "Arrgh!" Matau yelled, backing away.

With the Vahki defeated or driven off, it was now safe to enter the cave. Vakama put his project away and joined the other two as they entered the darkness of the cave. Behind them, the Kikanalo herd used their powerful legs to start a rockslide that sealed the cavern shut. Satisfied that they had blocked any pursuit of the Toa, the herd moved off.

"If they seal us in," wondered Matau as they walked, "how will we get out?"

"Don't worry," Nokama answered. "We'll find a way."

None of the Kikanalo chanced to look up in the sky. If they had, they would have seen the form of a lone Rahi hawk circling above the canyon. After a few more moments, Nivawk wheeled and soared toward the center of the city, carrying precious information for Turaga Dume.


	9. Chapter 9

Onewa, Whenua, Nuju, and their Turaga friend peered cautiously out of the opening in their cell wall. They had expected to see the barren plains of Po-Metru, but instead it seemed they were a long way from the outdoors. Their cell was inside a huge underground cavern, resting on an island of its own in the middle of a sea of sand. Stranger still, the cavern was empty—no patrols, no slobbering Rahi ready to hunt down escapees, no one.

"Why aren't there Vahki guards?" asked Onewa. The silence unnerved him. Somehow, the Toa of Stone felt they were in worse danger now than when they had been locked up.

The Turaga did not make him feel any better. "Perhaps none are needed," the wise one said, a hint of warning in his voice.

Still, an escape is not an escape if one never leaves the cell. The four allies slipped through the gap and began trudging across the sand dunes. It was tough going for the Toa Metru, for their added weight caused their feet to sink deep in the sand.

They had been journeying only a short time when they saw the sand up ahead begin to move. What began as a subtle shifting of sand grains rapidly evolved into a huge dune coming right for them, accompanied by a monstrous groan.

"Now I know why!" said Nuju, as he and the others fled. But there was no way to run far enough or fast enough to outrace what was chasing them.

Behind the Toa, a massive form broke through the sand. The huge, horned, worm-like beast was known as a troller, and it was one of the most feared creatures in Po-Metru. It lived far beneath the sands, emerging only now and then to feed. No Po-Matoran had ever stayed in the vicinity of a troller long enough to find out just what it ate. But its gaping mouth was large enough to swallow an entire block in a Metru.

Onewa felt the hot, fetid breath of troller on his back. He turned to see its jaws about to close on him. Unbidden, his Mask of Power glowed once more.

X X X

High above the Coliseum, Nivawk circled once, twice, three times before swooping down. The Rahi hawk alighted on his perch in the sundial chamber.

"What news, Nivawk?" asked Turaga Dume.

The great bird screeched and squawked, speaking in a language Dume had mastered ages ago. He reported that Vakama, Matau, and Nokama had defeated the Vahki guards and were even now making their way into the prison cave.

Turaga Dume moved to the darkest corner of the room. A pair of red eyes stared at him from the shadows. "This mask has been useful," said Dume. "Now for its final task."

Dume took a step forward into the darkness. Nothing blocked his way, for there was no one else in the chamber. Only a shadowed mirror from which Dume's true face reflected back at him. Dume reached up and peeled off his Kanohi Mask of Power, to reveal another underneath—a twisted, blackened Mask of Shadows.

The guise of Metru Nui's Turaga had been cast aside, simply another mask to be removed. In his place stood an entity of darkness and destruction, and now the ultimate power in the City of Legends.

"No one must alter our destiny," rumbled the dark figure.

X X X

The face of Turaga Dume appeared on kinetic displays all over the city. Matoran paused in their work to pay attention to what their elder had to say. "Matoran of Metru Nui," the Turaga began, "you are required to gather at the Coliseum."

X X X

The troller slowly made its way to the rocky "coast" of the sea of sand. It swerved neither left nor right, even when small Rahi ran across its path. With a mighty heave, the beast beached itself and then opened its mouth as if in a yawn.

Three Toa and a Turaga emerged from the maw of the monster, gasping for air. Whenua turned to Onewa, saying, "Good job, brother. But next time, mind control something with better breath."

A tunnel led from the sand pit to a destination none of them could guess. But if they wanted to escape before any Vahki patrols came to investigate, they had no other choice. They would have to take their chances in the darkness.

_At least we don't have to go in there without our tools, _thought Onewa. All of their equipment was stacked neatly by the tunnel entrance, including a compact item that the Turaga took for himself. Onewa found that it felt good to have his proto pitons in his hands once more. He vowed that no one would ever take these symbols of his Toa power away again.

Nuju turned from the tunnel entrance. "All that lies ahead is shadow."

"It has to be better than what's behind us," said Whenua.

The Toa of Earth took a step into the dark tunnel. Then he stopped in surprise—the tunnel was suddenly bright as day! How was this possible? He didn't see any lightstones anywhere, and he was certain none of the other Toa had one.

He turned back to check. The other Toa winced as if from glare. That was when Whenua realized they were brightly lit too. It was his mask! His mask was glowing and lighting the way in front of him!

"Your mask power…" said Onewa.

"Come on," replied Whenua, smiling. "Our future just got a whole lot brighter."

Together, the three Toa and the Turaga entered the tunnel. The darkness vanished before them due to the Kanohi Ruru's energies, something they hoped was an omen for the days to come.

X X X

They had been walking for some time through a strange tunnel lined with doors on either side. A faint sound came from around a sharp corner, something like metal scraping against stone. Whenua turned to his companions and signaled for them to stay put while he investigated.

The Toa of Earth rounded the corner and ran right into a Vahki coming the other way. The glow from Whenua's mask blinded the guard, giving the Toa an opening, and the two grappled. Whenua expected to be able to overcome a Vahki with his Toa power, but this one seemed unusually strong.

Then the Vahki did something totally unprecedented and unexpected—it talked. "Hey! Turn out the bright-light!"

Stunned, Whenua released his hold. Vahki couldn't talk…and that voice was familiar. "Matau?!"

The Vahki enforcer smiled—another thing no Vahki had ever done—and morphed into the form of the Toa of Air. "That's _Toa _Matau to you, my brother, Whenua," he said.

Reunited, the Toa exchanged greetings and brief accounts of their adventures that brought them to the tunnels. Only Vakama stood off to the side, reluctant to join in the celebration.

"Shapeshifting?" Whenua asked Matau.

"Yeah," said the Toa of Air. "And you should hear Nokama translating Kikanalo."

"So we've all discovered our mask powers." No one noticed Vakama hang his head at Whenua's statement.

"Everyone but me…" the Toa of Fire mumbled to himself.

Nuju turned to Nokama. "How did you know we would be here?"

"We didn't. We came for Toa Lhikan."

Onewa shook his head and shrugged. "He's not here."

The Turaga took a step forward, saying, "Not exactly."

All eyes turned to his small form as he removed his cloak. For the first time, the others saw that he wore the same mask as Lhikan. In that moment, they knew—despite his reduced stature and power, this was—

"Toa…Lhikan!?" Vakama said, shocked.

The Turaga smiled. "No, _you _are Toa. _I _am Turaga Lhikan."

"Well…why didn't you tell us who you were?" asked Whenua.

"Your task was to discover who _you _were," replied Turaga Lhikan. "Only with such knowledge would your powers reveal themselves."

"Fast-stop!" said Matau. "Where did—?"

"My power go?" Lhikan finished for him. "It lives on, in all of you." Vakama turned away, but Lhikan spoke directly to the Toa of Fire, causing him to face the red-and-gold Turaga. "Vakama…tell me, the heart of Metru Nui—do you have it safe?"

"Well…we're rescuing you now?" Vakama answered, sounding a little confused by the question. "You're safe with us."

Lhikan sighed. "You are misguided, Toa Vakama. I am not Metru Nui's heart. The _Matoran _are. We must save them before it's too late."

Nokama turned to the Toa of Fire. "Vakama?"

"I have failed you again," Vakama said to Lhikan. Seeing the concern in Nokama's face, he snapped at her, "I told you! I am a cross-wired freak, chasing his dreams, wasting everyone's time! I'll never be a real Toa!"

Further discussion was cut off by the sound of marching feet in the tunnels. It didn't take the wisdom of a Turaga to figure out what they belonged to.

"Vahki!" said Matau. "Run now, talk later!"

The group took off down a side corridor, Vakama bringing up the rear. They passed a number of huge doors, of the sort normally seen in the Archives. No one could imagine what purpose they would serve in Po-Metru.

Nokama paused to wait for Vakama to catch up. Lhikan shook his head and gestured for her to continue with the others. "We cannot help Vakama," he said. "He needs to see the dignity in his own reflection. Only then will his destiny reveal itself."

Behind them, Vakama stopped short. His eyes had spotted something the other Toa had missed, something disturbingly familiar. It was a silver sphere, just like the ones he had seen in the Vahki transport.

Vakama wiped away the dust and opened the sphere. The hatch rose with a hydraulic hiss, to reveal…

"Turaga Dume?" Vakama said, shaken to the core of his being. But there was no escaping it—there was the Turaga, minus his mask, sleeping inside the vessel. In his heart, Vakama knew this was no ordinary sleep and Dume would not be roused with a shake.

Lhikan looked over his shoulder at Vakama. "The _true _Turaga Dume. As I feared, an impostor is posing as a mask we all trust."

The world spun around Vakama. He knew the Turaga had been behaving oddly, but he never suspected…. Another vision assailed his senses. Hundreds of silver spheres…sinister red eyes…whispered words that spoke of evils yet to come. Vakama could hear Dume's voice in his head, morphing into a lower, more intimidating sound: "bring me the Mask of Time!"

The other Toa had turned back at the news. "If this is Turaga Dume…" said Onewa.

"You don't _want _to know who is really in control of Metru Nui," Vakama replied.

The sounds of Vahki on the march came from another corridor. The Toa Metru were about to be trapped between two order enforcement squads. Whenua looked around desperately, finally spotting their only avenue of escape.

"In here!" he yelled, pulling open one of the massive doors. The Toa and Turaga Lhikan rushed inside a split second before the Vahki reached the spot. Whenua slammed the door behind them. Frustrated, the Vahki pounded on it. The door rapidly began to give way before their might.

The Toa examined their surroundings. They were in a Po-Metru storage facility littered with tools, half-finished carvings, and one potential ticket to freedom. Matau was the first to spot it.

"A Vahki transport!" he shouted.

Although based on the same design as the one in which he, Nokama, and Vakama had hitched a ride before, this transport was even larger. Its insectoid legs looked as if they had not moved in an age, and certainly the thick coating of dust made it seem long unused. But Matau knew these vehicles well. Like the Vahki they carried, they never wore out.

He took a step toward the transport, but stopped dead at a hissing sound. It came from the darkest corner of the room. The Toa Metru were not alone, and they had the worst possible company.

"Lohrak!" shouted Turaga Lhikan, as the hideous, winged serpents flew from the shadows. Their huge, powerful mouths were filled with row upon row of needlelike teeth, which gleamed in the light.

Lohrak were known, and feared, throughout Metru Nui. First discovered by Onu-Metru miners years ago, the creatures had spread all over the city. They were as territorial and aggressive as they were slimy and disgusting. Every Metru had Matoran who could share a frightening story of a Lohrak encounter. Workers who wandered off the job to go exploring were warned that Lohrak might lurk anywhere.

At the moment, though, it was the Toa who needed protection. The first Lohrak lunged at Whenua, who dove out of the way. Others had wrapped themselves around Turaga Lhikan and Toa Nokama's hydro blades. Nuju struggled with his crystal spikes to pry two more of the beasts off his legs.

It was chaos. The Lohrak swooped and dove as the Toa desperately tried to dodge and regroup. Meanwhile, the Vahki continued trying to break down the door. Vakama, Matau, and Nuju finally managed to join together to form a united defense, but then all three were blinded by the radiance of Whenua's mask.

"Onewa, mind-control these things!" shouted the Toa of Earth.

Onewa concentrated, his mask beginning to glow. But the power of the Kanohi did not slow down the Lohrak's attack. "There are too many!" he said.

"Then do something else," said Whenua. "Some Toa we turned out to be."

"Someone must take charge," said Lhikan. The words cut through the doubts that Vakama carried with him. Lhikan was right. If one of them did not take command, their struggle was going to end here in this dusty storage room. There would be no one to warn the Matoran, to stop Dume, or to bring Nidhiki and Krekka to justice.

_I have been all wrong, _he said to himself. _A Toa is not someone who has no fear—but someone who masters their fear. Toa can doubt, and worry, and question, just like a Matoran. But in the end, a Toa must act._

"You found your mask powers!" he shouted to the other Toa. "Now remember your elemental powers!"

It was a desperate gamble and he knew it. The Toa had used up most of their elemental powers in the quest to find the Great Disks, fight the Morbuzakh, and battle Krahka while in the Archives. None of them knew for sure how long it would take the powers to recharge. What if they had not come back yet?

_Only one way to know-learn, _thought Matau. Shouting "wind," he raised his aero slicers, unleashing a blast of wind just strong enough to blow the Lohrak off himself, Nokama, Lhikan, Vakama, and Whenua.

Nokama followed his lead. Using her hydro blades, she hurled a blast of water at Nuju and Onewa, scattering the Lohrak that besieged them. "Water!" she cried triumphantly.

"We need to trap them," said Vakama. Whenua and Onewa went to work. Using his earthshock drills, Whenua channeled his elemental power into the wall. His seismic forces cracked the stone, creating a gap almost big enough to hold the Lohrak. Onewa used his proto pitons to enlarge the opening and smooth the stone.

Vakama's elemental powers had not yet returned in force, but his mask-making tool was able to create enough heat and flame to drive the creatures into the gap. Once they were inside, Nuju sealed it shut with a layer of transparent ice. Behind the ice, the trapped Lohrak snapped their jaws angrily.

"We have our unity," said Vakama. "Now let's do our duty."

Behind him, the door began to crack under the relentless pounding of the Vahki. They would be through in a matter of seconds, and all hope of escape would be lost. More likely, the Toa Metru would wind up docile servants of order, happily laboring under the watchful eye of the Turaga Dume imposter.

The Toa climbed into the Vahki transport. As Matau had expected, getting it started was not difficult. But there was one other problem….

"Our only exit is blocked," said Whenua. He was right—the Toa had angry Vahki behind them, and a solid wall in front.

"Then we'll make our own," Vakama replied, new confidence in his voice. "Come on, destiny awaits."

"What about Turaga Dume?" asked Onewa.

"He'll be safe until we return," said Vakama. "Now go!"

The Vahki transport shot forward. Whenua stood on the hood, his earthshock drills revved up. The vehicle accelerated rapidly and the Toa watched as the solid stone wall came closer and closer. Whenua leaned forward a little, bracing for the moment his drills would strike stone.

Impact! The Toa of Earth's tools bore through the rock with ease, digging an exit tunnel for the transport. Just as they exited the chamber, the door gave way and the Vahki poured in. They looked around, annoyed. Where had their quarry gone? Their orders were very specific: apprehend and pacify. But these Toa were proving hard to catch.

At the controls, Matau eased the vehicle upward as Whenua continued to dig. Soon they were riding up a gentle ramp, headed for the surface and freedom.

Matau turned to Nokama, smiling. "I see us taking a romantic ride-drive."

"And you believe Vakama has odd visions?" Nokama shot back.


	10. Chapter 10

The Vahki transport exploded out of the ground. Matau had been worried about the possibility of injuring Matoran when the vehicle hit the surface. Now he saw he need not have worried, because there were no Matoran in sight.

Anywhere.

For the first time, the Toa of Air wondered if they were going to be too late. They would go down in legend as the heroes who took too long to come to the rescue. Then again, if they weren't on time, there might not be anyone left to write the legends. He leaned on the throttle and rocketed the transport to the heart of the city.

X X X

Up front, Whenua collapsed, exhausted. He had never felt such complete and utter fatigue in his whole life, but it was a good feeling. It meant he had done his job and come through when the Toa needed him most. Maybe he could do this job, after all, and be the Toa of Earth.

Onewa leaned forward. "Hey, glow-head."

Whenua turned to look at him, bracing for another one of Onewa's insults. But instead the Toa of Stone held out a hand and said, "Well done, my brother."

Both Toa smiled and clanked their fists together.

X X X

Further back, Vakama was absorbed in mask-making once again. He couldn't explain why, but he had a strong feeling this mask he was making was going to be vital to saving the city.

_If it can be saved,_ he thought. _Whoever is posing as Dume has Nidhiki, Krekka, and the Vahki on his side. Plus the Matoran believe him to be the city's elder and will follow his orders. I only hope they are not the last orders they ever follow._

X X X

Matoran streamed into the Coliseum from all over the city, under the watchful optical sensors of the Vahki. Most looked confused, some looked worried, but a few were simply happy for a break from work. All of them had come in response to Turaga Dume's call. They had no idea what had prompted the city-wide alert, but they were sure it was nothing that Dume could not handle. After all, he was the Turaga, wasn't he?

X X X

Turaga Dume watched the unsuspecting Matoran file in. They were so innocent. They would never be able to handle the changes that were coming. Better that they should be sheltered from it all, until such time as he decided they could resume their lives again.

He turned to look at the massive sundial. The shadows of the twin suns had begun to partially overlap. Smiling, he glanced at a Kanohi Mask of Power that hung on the wall, the symbol of the Great Spirit Mata Nui.

"Ah, twilight," he whispered to it. "The dawn of shadows."

X X X

The Vahki transport sped through the streets of Metru Nui. None of the Toa Metru said a word as they traveled. They were all taking in the spectacle of a completely empty city. The streets, workplaces, and chutes were all deserted, almost as if no one had ever lived there. It was awe-inspiring and more than a little frightening.

On screens all over the city, the image of Turaga Dume hung like a shadow. He repeated the same words, over and over: "Matoran of Metru Nui are required to gather at the Great Coliseum for an important announcement."

Vakama turned to Turaga Lhikan. "Turaga, you said I must 'stop the darkness.' But sunsfall isn't for—"

"Just because the twin suns hang above us now does not mean that they will always burn bright," Lhikan replied.

Nuju and Whenua looked skywards to see the two suns arc toward each other. "Of course," said the Toa of Earth. "The legend of Eternal Shadow."

"When the light of the Great Spirit will be lost," said Nuju.

Nokama understood now, and it was worse than she could ever have imagined. "We don't have much time!" she cried, not realizing that time had already run out.

X X X

Matoran sat expectantly in their seats, engaging in nervous conversation with each other. Then the huge Coliseum screen flared to life and the mask of Turaga Dume looked down upon them.

"Matoran, rejoice, for today will be a momentous climax to your history," he said, in a benevolent tone.

The Matoran looked at each other, puzzled. Their confusion grew as Vahki transports pulled into the arena, carrying scores of shiny silver capsules.

X X X

Matau steered the transport sharply around a corner and poured on the speed. The Coliseum was just up ahead, its entrance guarded by Vahki enforcers. "Grip-tight!" shouted the Toa of Air.

The Vahki realized too late that the vehicle was not going to stop. Startled, they dove aside as the transport smashed through the Coliseum gates. Debris flew everywhere. Matau fought to maintain control as the vehicle skidded across the arena floor.

_Come on,_ he said to himself. _You are a Toa-hero! You are a Le-Metru star! You can stop one quick-fast Vahki cart!_

He yanked back on the controls and the rear of the vehicle whipped to the right before finally sliding to a stop. But if Matau expected applause from the audience of Matoran, he was sadly mistaken. There were no Matoran in the Coliseum…none that were conscious, anyway. Shocked, the Toa Metru saw the Vahki closing the last of the capsules, which now contained the population of Metru Nui.

The Toa of Air shook his head. This could not be right. There were nowhere near enough capsules here to hold all of the Matoran. Where were the rest of them?

A voice came from the giant screen, but it was not the voice of Turaga Dume. It was a dark sound that sent chills through the Toa. It was the sound of shadow and fear, decay and rot, a corruption beyond anything the Toa could imagine. It was the growls of wild Rahi in the night, the hiss of angry Rahkshi, and the thunder that shook the ground, all entwined together in one terrible noise.

"Too late, Toa," the false Turaga said. "The shadow has arrived."

The Toa Metru looked up at the screen. "Turaga Dume" slowly reached up and removed his mask, revealing a pair of blazing red eyes and a face all too well-known to the heroes—the Kanohi Kraahkan, the Great Mask of Shadows. Even in the shape of a Turaga, there was no denying the raw power that radiated from the figure. Once he had been a being trusted and respected by all, but now…now he was a stranger from the shadows.

Turaga Lhikan was the first to find his voice. "Makuta," he said, stunned. "You were sworn to protect the Matoran!"

"l shall," said Makuta. "And when they awake, I will be their Great Spirit."

Vakama could not believe what he was hearing. He knew there was a plot against the Matoran, he knew that "Dume" was an impostor, but he had never dreamed of something so monstrous. How could Makuta—how could anyone—be so twisted and evil that he would try to take the place of the Great Spirit, Mata Nui?

"Deceit and self-interest will never be virtues the Matoran honor," the Toa of Fire spat.

A rumble began to grow, slowly at first, then faster, so loud it was deafening. Yet Makuta's voice could be clearly heard through the din, heavy with triumph. "How very bold. Now embrace the nightfall. Even the Great Spirit will soon sleep."

The Toa and Turaga lifted fearful eyes to the sky. A darkness passed over them, cutting off the light. Shadow reached down like a great hand to seize Metru Nui, engulfing the city in an all-consuming blackness. Midday had become midnight.

Forked lightning bolts stabbed down from the Coliseum's energy pylons. The ground shook violently as a spiderweb of cracks appeared in the walls. A great fissure appeared in the floor of the arena, racing toward the heroes.

The legend of Eternal Shadow had come true. The end of all was near.

Only the Vahki, heartless machines that they were, seemed unfazed by the disaster unfolding around them. Optical receptors aglow in the darkness, they marched toward the Toa's vehicle. Makuta obviously intended that there would be no loose ends left behind.

But worrying about their own safety was the last thing on the minds of the Toa. "We must find the Matoran!" yelled Vakama. "Whenua!"

Whenua nodded and concentrated as never before. His Mask of Power glowed as brightly as a sun, its light piercing the ground. Suddenly he was able to see through solid matter, his vision extending down into a storage hold far beneath the Coliseum. Vahki enforcers were busy stacking silver cylinders on huge metal racks that stretched from floor to ceiling.

"Matoran capsules…thousands of them. They're down below the Coliseum!" said Whenua.

The Toa of Air slammed on the controls, throwing the transport into high gear. Vahki went flying as the Toa headed for an underground access tunnel. One Vahki managed to recover in time to leap and dig its tools into the rear of the transport, slowly starting to climb toward where the Toa sat.

Nokama turned and spotted the unwelcome guest. With a quick swipe of her hydro blades, she sliced off that section of the transport, sending the Vahki tumbling away.

X X X

Makuta triggered the controls that caused Dume's box to ascend. The energy pylons bent to his will, sending their lightning discharges into his body. He hungrily absorbed the raw energy into himself until it became too much for the frail form of a Turaga to bear.

The moment he had waited for—the moment of transformation—had arrived.

X X X

The transport roared through the tunnel. Three Vahki leaped from above as it passed, landing on the roof of the vehicle. They immediately began pounding with their tools to gain access.

Inside the cockpit, Matau flipped a lever. The transport's legs extended, lifting the vehicle up high. A second later, a low bridge stripped the Vahki off the top and sent them tumbling to the ground.

The transport slid to a stop in the middle of the storage facility. The Toa disembarked to view a horrifying sight. All around them were the silver spheres, stacked as high as the eye could see. Each one contained a Matoran who not so long ago had been laughing, working, playing.

Nokama peered inside one of the spheres. The Matoran within slept an unnatural sleep, eyes dark, heartlight faintly pulsating. He was still alive, at least, but trapped in a slumber which, for all the Toa knew, was endless.

"No," she breathed. "Can we save them all?"

"Time is too short," replied Vakama. "But if we save a few, we save hope for all. We can't take them all now; we'll return for the others later."

"Yes," agreed Lhikan. "We must get them to safety."

The Toa hurriedly loaded six spheres into the transport, which contained the six Matoran who had aided in finding the Great Disks. All the while the Toa watched for Vahki. They could not know what was happening up above, but in their hearts they knew Makuta would not let them escape without a fight.

"Let's get them out of here," said Vakama.

X X X

High above the Coliseum, Makuta now reigned supreme. His frail Turaga form had been replaced by a swirling vortex of dark energy. The energy pylons continued to pour bolts of lightning into his new shape, feeding him the power he craved. Makuta's red eyes gleamed in the center of the shadow.

Nivawk circled the vortex, careful not to come too close. His caution was wasted, as a black tendril of pure energy reached out and dragged him into the swirling mass of darkness.

X X X

Hidden by the shadows, the Vahki transport accelerated away from the Coliseum. Matau struggled to keep the vehicle on the road as earth tremors rocked the city. Towers crumbled and chutes buckled and fell as they raced toward Ga-Metru.

Suddenly Krekka and Nidhiki were flanking the vehicle in their flight mode. Before any of the Toa could react, they had morphed back into their normal shapes and leaped into the vehicle. Krekka grabbed Matau, fighting him for control of the transport.

"Time for a new driver!" shouted the Dark Hunter.

"Hey!" Matau cried in agitation. "I'm trying to drive, here!"

Nidhiki ignored the Toa and made straight for Lhikan, his eyes filled with hate. "Toa or Turaga, Lhikan, your fate shall be the same."

Nidhiki launched an energy web at the Turaga, only to watch, astounded, as it slowed and then stopped in midair. Nearby, Nuju's mask glowed as he used his telekinetic power to halt the net.

Now it was Onewa's turn. He focused his power of mind control on Krekka, taking over the body of the Dark Hunter. Under Onewa's direction, Krekka whirled and grabbed hold of Nidhiki.

"Get off!" shouted Nidhiki.

"My thoughts exactly," Onewa muttered. With a mental shove, Krekka jumped off the speeding vehicle, taking his partner with him. Lhikan smiled and clanked his fist with Onewa.

X X X

Nidhiki and Krekka shook their heads, trying to recover from the impact of hitting the road. Krekka had no idea how they had wound up there. The last thing he remembered, he was fighting the green Toa and winning.

Neither one noticed the coils of dark energy approaching. Then the shadow was around them both, dragging them back into the Coliseum to an unknown fate.


	11. Chapter 11

Matau steered the transport across the bridge leading to Ga-Metru. He tried his best to stay focused on the task at hand, and not pay attention to the damage being done to his beloved city.

"I always believed all this would stand forever," Nokama said sadly.

"Sometimes you shouldn't look back," answered Whenua. "Only ahead."

"Ahead does not appear so great either," said Nuju.

The Toa looked ahead to see hundreds of Vahki standing in the middle of the bridge. Twenty abreast, they blocked the way from rail to rail.

"Where to now?" said Matau.

Vakama had gone back to tinkering with the Mask of Power he was crafting. "Our future lies beyond Metru Nui," he said confidently. "Matau, take us over the edge!"

Matau nodded. He wasn't sure what 'going beyond Metru Nui' meant, but he knew there was only one safe way to get off this bridge. "I sure hope you're guided by the Great Spirit," he growled, "because this is definitely cross-wired! Let's hope this thing floats…"

The Toa of Air threw the transport into a hard ninety degree turn and sped toward the rail. The Toa hung on to whatever they could, hardly able to believe what was about to happen. With a final burst of speed, the transport smashed through the rail and plunged into the storm-tossed waters far below.

The Vahki gathered at the newly made gap in the rail and looked down. There were no signs of Toa or any wreckage of their vehicle. All that could be seen were the waves beating against the bridge supports as if they hoped to bring the structure crashing down.

Then a few bubbles popped to the surface, followed by the transport itself, still intact. "Hey," said Matau brightly, "it does float…kinda."

The six spheres, strapped to the bottom of the vehicle, had made it buoyant enough to rise. "We saved them," said Nokama, pointing at the containers that held the sleeping Matoran. "Now they saved us."

X X X

Nidhiki and Krekka had no idea what was happening. They had served Turaga Dume faithfully, hadn't they? Even when it turned out it was not Dume at all, they had obeyed his orders without question. Why, then, were they now being drawn into the heart of a vortex of darkness?

"It is time you made good on your promises, my captains," Makuta said as the two vanished into the pulsating shadow. "For this is your eternal duty."

X X X

With its insectoid legs acting as oars, the Vahki transport moved through the silver sea. Up ahead lay the Great Barrier, a cliff so high it vanished into the sky and so wide it encompassed the entire horizon.

Vakama was paying no attention to the barrier though. His mind was lost in another vision…

_Bright light. Then darkness, the same kind of darkness that now shrouded all of Metru Nui. He looked around, uncertain, wondering how he would ever escape. Then a sliver of illumination appeared, like a crack in the shadows. It beckoned him to go forward, for on the other side was a place of safety…_

Vakama's eyes snapped open. He wasn't certain just what the vision meant, not yet, but he did know it was a sign of hope. That same instinct told him the Mask of Power he had been creating would play some part in all this, so he went back to work on it.

Matau looked on, disapprovingly. In the middle of this crisis, Vakama was still playing mask-maker? But after what the Toa had been through, Matau chose his words a bit more encouragingly. "Vakama, you no longer need to mask-make. It is time you realized that you are a Toa!" he said.

"Time? Of course!" realized Vakama. "More time! That is what the false Turaga wanted!" Now he worked even more frantically on his mask. It all made sense. Back to the very day Lhikan gave him his Toa Stone and Dume came knocking, asking for the Kanohi Vahi. He wanted to use it to further his plans before the Toa could defeat the Morbuzakh or strengthen the city. Now, the mask was almost finished, and if he was right about what it could do—

Vakama's thoughts were interrupted by another violent tremor. But this one was not caused by thunder in the ground. No, this came from the impact of a winged figure landing hard on a rocky outcropping of the Great Barrier.

The Toa stared in wonder, in awe, in fear. This was unmistakably Makuta, but not Makuta as they had ever known him. This was a colossus in dark, infected armor, with the mighty wings of Nivawk, radiating the power of shadow. Worse, the Toa Metru could see that the tools of Nidhiki and Krekka were a part of his new form as well.

_No wonder they stopped chasing us, _thought Nuju grimly.

Makuta looked down upon the Toa. Over the crashing of the waves and the howling wind, he snarled, "Your journey must end."

"By the will of the Great Spirit, it has just begun!" roared Vakama.

"Then conquer the real sea of protodermis!" said Makuta. With a wave of his arm, great pillars of crystalline protodermis rose from the sea, forming a dangerous obstacle course. Matau struggled with the controls as he steered the craft around them, but the Vahki transport was not designed for complicated maneuvers at sea.

Vakama pointed up ahead. There was a narrow gap in the Great Barrier through which light shone, just like the image he had seen in his vision. "Stay true to the light, Matau. The future is in your care," he commanded. Then he turned to the Toa of Ice and said, "Get me as close to him as you can."

The Toa of Ice nodded as his mask began to glow. His telekinetic power reached out and lifted Vakama into the air, sending him hurtling up toward where Makuta waited.

Down below the Toa fought on. Onewa jumped from the craft to smash one pillar to fragments with his proto pitons. But two more rose up dead ahead, so close their spikes ground together. The transport was on course to smash into them.

"Nokama—we need to quick-turn!" said Matau. Nokama slung her hydro blade and dug it into the side of a pillar. Then she hung on with all her strength as Matau threw the transport into a sharp turn by using her as an anchor, narrowly avoiding the barrier up ahead. But victory had not been won—another pillar rose up abruptly, crashing into the transport and sending the silver spheres flying into the sea.

Nokama spotted them floating toward certain destruction. "The Matoran!"

Nuju saw them as well, and it broke his concentration just enough to send Vakama plunging into the sea. But the Toa of Fire was not ready to give up. He dragged himself from the water and scaled the cliffside to face Makuta.

The two circled each other warily. Vakama reached into his pack and produced the completed Mask of Power he had fashioned from the Great Kanoka Disks.

"The Mask of Time," breathed Makuta. Then the Master of Shadows smiled. "You are a great mask-maker, Vakama. You could have many destinies."

Vakama hesitated. Makuta, sensing his doubt, moved in closer. "Fire and shadow are a mighty combination. Come join my brothers and l, Vakama."

The Toa of Fire smiled. "l desire but one noble destiny," he said, placing the Mask of Time over his own Kanohi mask. "More than any power you can offer me!"

"Then accept your doom," thundered Makuta. He gathered his energies and sent a serpent-like stream of dark energy from his chest straight toward Vakama.

The Mask of Time glowed. A wave of temporal force flowed from it, striking Makuta. The movements of the Master of Shadows slowed, as did his energy stream, which now hung almost motionless in mid air.

Stripped of Makuta's control, the sea calmed. The five Toa down below quickly went to work retrieving the Matoran spheres. None of them noticed that Turaga Lhikan was missing.

Although he wore the Mask of Time, Vakama's control of it was imperfect. He was unable to stop the same temporal wave that slowed Makuta from slowing himself as well. He could feel his mind and body slowing down—and now there was no way to dodge the tentacle of dark energy heading for him.

Then there was motion. Turaga Lhikan was running up to Makuta and Vakama, diving into the temporal wave right in front of Makuta's dark energy. The energy bolt struck Lhikan head on, shattering the shield created by his own Noble Kanohi Hau.

Lhikan was drained of all color as the darkness took hold. The disruption of the wave broke its power, and sent Vakama's Mask of Time flying toward the sea. Makuta immediately leapt into the air, using his wings from Nivawk to carry him to the waters, aiming to catch the mask.

"Lhikan!" Vakama ran over to his still form, where he knelt over the dying Turaga, saying, "That was meant for me."

"No," Lhikan responded weakly. He gestured toward the Great Barrier. "This is my lifetime's journey. Yours lies beyond."

Vakama struggled with the feeling of grief that threatened to overpower him. He leaned in close to hear Turaga Lhikan's whispered words. "Trust your visions," the Turaga said. Weakly, struggling, Lhikan reached to his face and removed his Kanohi, his last form of life support. "I am proud to…have called you brother…Toa Vakama."

Vakama took the mask in one hand, while Lhikan shakily offered his fist in the Toa salute. His own eyes shaking, Vakama met Lhikan's fist with his. Lhikan smiled, holding onto to life just long enough to rest his hand on Vakama's. With that, Lhikan's eyes went dark and his heartlight ceased to flash; his hand fell limp on the Toa of Fire's. Broken-hearted, Vakama clenched his eyes and pushed his lips in an effort to keep his tears at bay. With a final look at his hero, Vakama put the Turaga's mask away and stood. Vakama's confidence spiked again, ready to confront Makuta, retrieve the Kanohi Vahi, and save the Matoran.

He felt a tingle of power run through his form as his mask glowed. Looking down he saw that his body had faded from view. He had become invisible! He wore the Kanohi Huna, the Great Mask of Concealment. He looked at his hands, seeing the stone behind them. "My mask power!" he exclaimed in amazement. With it, he ran off to face Makuta again.

X X X

Makuta had returned from the Silver Sea and now held the Vahi. He was preparing to place it over his Mask of Shadows as Vakama crouched and loaded his disk launcher. Not this time, Makuta, he said to himself, as he became visible.

The disk flew and hit the Kanohi Vahi, sending it sailing out of Makuta's hands and back over the cliff. This time, it splashed into the sea of liquid protodermis and sank out of sight.

"Fool!" snapped Makuta. "Without the Mask of Time, it will take a lifetime to achieve what destiny demands…only yours will be brief."

Makuta launched another tendril of dark energy at Vakama, forcing the Toa to scramble for safety. Vakama activated his mask again, causing him to disappear from sight.

Makuta fired more blasts wildly, but missed the Toa by a wide margin. Vakama hurled a rock, sparking another blast from Makuta at the point where it landed. Then the Master of Shadows aimed at the point from which the rock came, his dark energy forcing Vakama into a hollow niche of the cliff.

The Toa of Fire removed his disk launcher and wedged it hard into a crevice on the cliff face. As soon as the launcher was separated from him, it became visible. Makuta smiled and sent a tentacle of dark energy to grab it.

"You cannot hide from me, Toa!" said Makuta.

"l don't need to anymore," Vakama replied. "I'm a Toa!"

The shadow wrapped around the launcher and tried to pull it toward him—but Vakama had wedged it in too deeply. Makuta found himself struggling with the power of the Great Barrier itself. Instead of the launcher being drawn toward him, he was being drawn toward the Barrier.

Vakama returned to visibility as Makuta slammed into the cliff. Dazed, but still defiant, the dark one snarled, "If Toa Lhikan could not defeat me alone, how can you?"

"Because he is not alone!" The voice was Nokama's. The six Toa stood together once more. The Toa raised their tools, with Vakama substituting his firestaff for his disk launcher. Their six elements flowed together to form a beam of pure white energy as Vakama had seen the Krahka do, which they hurled at Makuta, leeching his shadow power from him. A shell of protodermis formed around the Master of Shadows, sealing him in. With a final burst of power, the beam marked his prison with the sign of the Toa.

The Toa broke formation and the power beam ceased. Vakama looked at Lhikan's mask and saw the streak of a star reflected in it. "Look skyward!" he said.

The Toa turned their eyes to the heavens. Lhikan's spirit star was shooting across the darkened sky. As they watched, it exploded into six new, separate stars. "Six spirit stars…" said Vakama.

"The Great Spirit proclaims it!" said Nuju. "We are Toa!"

The six heroes raised their fists and clanked them together with each other in turn. Their trials were far from ended, they knew, but they would face them as heroes of Metru Nui.

Vakama looked down from the cliff to see that all six spheres had been retrieved and lashed once more to the transport. "We'll return for the rest of the Matoran soon," he said. "But first let us ensure the safety of those we have with us now."

With that being said and Makuta defeated, the Toa boarded their Vahki craft, and made for the opening in the Great Barrier, symbolically carrying the six Matoran into the light.

* * *

X X X

"And so it was," concluded Turaga Vakama. The assembled Turaga, Matoran, and Toa Nuva looked on as he placed the stone that represented the Great Spirit in the center of the sand circle once more. "We did find our home and later brought the rest of the Matoran. You see now that we are no longer Toa but Turaga, for this is the way of things. Matoran into Toa, Toa into Turaga, Turaga into legend. Remembering deeds past and bringing hope to the future. United in duty. Bound in destiny. So it was, and so it ever shall be."

His tale finished for the night. Vakama bid his friends farewell, to continue telling legends for another time.

_To be continued in "Bionicle - Phase 03: Provenance - Part V: Voyage of Fear"..._

_(Legends of Metru Nui was compiled from the guide BIONICLE: Metru Nui - City of Legends; the movie BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui; the book Adventures 4: Legends of Metru Nui; self-written scenes; and Graphic Novel 3: containing Comics 18-21: Enemies of Metru Nui, Struggle in the Sky, and Dreams of Darkness) _


End file.
